Choosing the impersonal and social media sphere, his preferred tactic, the President of SYRIZA Progressive Alliance, Stefanos Kasselakis, once again intervened amid internal party developments, following an unprecedented wave of “support” for Pavlos Polakis.

Accustomed to surprise from a distance, as he did on Pentecost, hinting at “black funds” within SYRIZA, Mr. Kasselakis this time intervened early on a Sunday morning, directly targeting the Vice President of Parliament, Olga Gerovassili, and the “87” minority members of the faction, who belong to Tsipras’ ‘guard,’ choosing an enemy in an attempt to calm the anger of his supporters and the thousands of online followers of Pavlos Polakis, who overwhelmingly condemned his decision to expel the Chania MP from the Parliamentary Group of the main opposition.

Attempting another diversion, Stefanos Kasselakis criticized, without naming her, Olga Gerovassili, and the “87” members, stating that, unlike Pavlos Polakis, “there are others who deliberately and daily harm the party politically (not behaviorally) to serve their petty ambitions,” concluding that “those who hide behind leaks should better deal with them.”

The post in detail:

“Because I see leaks about ‘half’ and ‘whole’ expulsions, I repeat: Pavlos Polakis was expelled from SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group for behaviors that are not fitting for parliament. It is a matter of behavior, not politics.

Behavior, in a Parliament that has been disgraced by New Democracy, which sells us bourgeois courtesy while covering up crimes and hiding scandals.

Which shakes its finger while keeping a MP who cannot even recognize me as a man—and in this way hurts thousands of our fellow citizens. And also keeps a MP who declares that ‘the female is for bearing’—and in this way disparages half of our country’s citizens.

And these are kept by the Prime Minister because he fears his right wing controls him.

Pavlos Polakis is a SYRIZA member with work, opposition strength, and selfless presence that everyone knows. And that is non-negotiable for me.

There are others who deliberately and daily harm the party politically (not behaviorally) to serve their petty ambitions.

Those who hide behind leaks should better deal with them.”

**Notably, just a day before Kasselakis’ intervention, Olga Gerovassili had stated in an interview with “Parapolitika” that “throughout my political journey, I adhere to a basic principle: that style is substance and content. Courtesy and political culture are not signs of weakness but the way we show what kind of relationships we want people to have in the society we envision.” “Respect for the political opponent is not contrary to the combativeness required to defend the rights of the many. Often, doing the opposite, we give New Democracy the opportunity for a diversion from its unjust policies,” continued Ms. Gerovassili, concluding that “for these reasons—and I have said it many times publicly—I have always disagreed with Pavlos Polakis. So, the latest development finds me in agreement, provided it is comprehensive and not partial.”

Earlier, “the degeneration and ridicule” issue in case Polakis was not expelled was raised by members of the “87”, i.e., members directly referring to the former Prime Minister and SYRIZA President, Alexis Tsipras, their sources reported that “Pavlos Polakis is not just a member of SYRIZA Chania’s branch. He is a member of the party’s leadership and steering committees,” adding that “his expulsion from the Parliamentary Group cannot be a decision made in haste nor a communication maneuver to overcome the moment’s pressure. If so, it should be reconsidered.”

“In any case, if his expulsion from the Parliamentary Group is not immediately accompanied by his removal from the leadership bodies and his referral to the Party’s Ethics Committee, it will make us utterly unreliable in public opinion,” these members argue. “The President must make tough decisions. But he must decide. Whoever straddles two boats usually falls into the water,” they concluded.

To the Ethics Committee: Famelos too

But in favor of Pavlos Polakis at SYRIZA’s Ethics Committee, i.e., the party’s Disciplinary Committee, stands also the President of SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group, Sokratis Famellos, in an interview with “Real News”. “I believe that the issue will be discussed in the Ethics Committee and the relevant party bodies,” he mentions, among other things, the President of SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group, while there is a flurry of backstage activity over Kasselakis’ decision to expel Pavlos Polakis with Famelos’ signature.

A shield from the Kasselakis supporters

At the same time, the Kasselakis supporters have raised their “shields” on social media to protect Pavlos Polakis from the critical arrows he faces, forcing the President of the party, Stefanos Kasselakis, into immediate retreat. Apart from several MPs who expressed their support for the Chania MP at the last meeting of SYRIZA’s Parliamentary Group, Elena Akrita, MEP Nikos Pappas, Dora Avgeri, Kostas Barkas, and many others have also aligned with him, putting the leadership core of Koumoundourou in embarrassment.

Why… “the love is not enough”

And this is because at the last meeting of SYRIZA’s Political Secretariat, held in the shadow of Mr. Polakis’ sexist attack on Maria Syregela, when the “87” had raised the issue of unequivocal condemnation of Pavlos Polakis in the political decision’s text, the President of SYRIZA seemed to explain to the present members that he would make his decisions about the Chania MP at a time of his choosing and not by ND, leaving open the possibility of his expulsion from SYRIZA. Mr. Kasselakis reportedly called Olga Gerovassili with a conciliatory tone after the last meeting of KOE, where he invited anyone “who does not like it, to leave” the party, expressing his love and respect for the Vice President, as he did the next morning in their private meeting at the Parliament.

However, although absent from party meetings recently, Pavlos Polakis seems rather skeptical about the leadership’s handling of SYRIZA, stating that “love is not enough,” while trolls and websites friendly to Koumoundourou, along with thousands of the Chania MP’s supporters, systematically condemn SYRIZA’s leadership for its decision, urging Pavlos Polakis to either lead the party or proceed with establishing a new one.

It is no coincidence that Pavlos Polakis’ post after his expulsion has 10,000 likes, while Kasselakis’ post on the same issue had only 2,400, with the SYRIZA President facing a barrage of comments condemning his decision to expel Pavlos Polakis from the Parliamentary Group.