Government officials supporting Nikos Dendias and his intention not to allow the degradation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier have launched an attack on the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas.

After the new statement by the Mayor of Athens, government sources emphasized:
“Within just a few hours, Mr. Doukas contradicted himself. Yesterday, after his meeting with the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, the Mayor of Athens stated that, based on the amendment passed in Parliament, responsibility for the maintenance of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and its surrounding area belongs exclusively to the government.

He even sarcastically wished them ‘good luck’ — a wish that, as government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis pointed out, should have been directed to the citizens of the capital and to those who move around the city since the day of his election.”

According to the same officials, “today Mr. Doukas announced that he will go to court over the issue of jurisdiction, saying exactly the opposite of what he said yesterday.”

“In record time, Mr. Doukas supported one position and its opposite. What remains is for him to untangle his thoughts, which may matter to him personally but are of no concern to society,” they noted, adding: “In any case, and given the mayor’s unwillingness, as announced today by the Ministry of National Defense, it will not allow the degradation of the monument in any way, and will take all necessary measures to prevent it.”

The full timeline of the confrontation – Six statements in 19 hours

It is worth noting that it took a total of 19 hours and six official statements from both Nikos Dendias and Haris Doukas for it to become clear that the two sides disagree over who has jurisdiction regarding the cleaning of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Mayor of Athens even revealed that he intends to take legal action if the cleaning of the site is assigned to a private company.

The Minister of National Defense and the Mayor of Athens engaged in a veritable paper war of statements following yesterday’s announcement of their meeting at the Defense Ministry, with both sides invoking Article 102 of the Constitution — yet without finding common ground.

The result? A political confrontation centered on the amendment that transfers responsibility for the maintenance and promotion of the monument to the Ministry of Defense, and the possibility that cleaning services could be assigned to a private company — something Doukas mocked yesterday with his “good luck to them” remark after meeting Dendias.

Today, a new episode was added to yesterday’s dispute, with Mr. Doukas announcing that he will take the matter to court. The move was apparently triggered by yesterday’s statements from Dendias’s side, but he also targeted the government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis.

“Mr. Marinakis confirmed that, according to the recent amendment, responsibility for cleaning the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies with the Ministry of National Defense and will be assigned to private contractors. As is self-evident, the Municipality of Athens will appeal to the competent courts, based on Article 102 of the Constitution,” stated the Mayor of Athens.

A little later, the Ministry of National Defense issued its own statement regarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, emphasizing that it will not allow any form of degradation of the monument. Specifically, the statement said:

“The Ministry of National Defense, following the public discussion that has taken place, underlines that it will not allow in any way the degradation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It will take whatever measures are necessary to this end and will not return to this discussion.”

The latest statement by Haris Doukas came as a continuation of the public dispute that has also extended to government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, who accused the mayor of “not behaving like a mayor” regarding the monument issue.

Haris Doukas responded yesterday via a social media post, featuring a photo of himself with relatives of the Tempi train disaster victims, writing that “the struggle for justice continues.”

On Friday morning, speaking to Action 24, he noted that “the essence lies in the latest statement of the Ministry of National Defense regarding how it will handle the cleaning and enhancement of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In the short term, the responsibility lies with the Hellenic Police to ensure order and prevent any so-called ‘well-intentioned activists’ from trying to obstruct its enforcement,” added the government spokesperson.

Specifically, the Ministry’s statement read again:

“The Ministry of National Defense, following the public discussion that has taken place, underlines that it will not allow in any way the degradation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It will take whatever measures are necessary to this end and will not return to this discussion.”