The government appears determined to enforce the law at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as today it faces the crash test of the parades, which are taking place in a “tense” atmosphere due to the controversies surrounding Tempi and OPEKEPE. Government officials have factored into their planning the possibility of “activist actions,” though their assessment is that things will not get out of hand.
At Syntagma Square, all eyes will be on Zoe Konstantopoulou, leader of Plefsi Eleftherias (Course of Freedom), who has announced that she intends to stage some form of activist action on the officials’ platform — possibly alongside relatives of the Tempi train crash victims or members of the “Mehri Telous” (“Until the End”) group, which often appears at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In areas outside Athens, it remains to be seen whether there will be any reaction from farmers or livestock breeders, who are “up in arms” over the OPEKEPE issue and the recent outbreak of sheep pox.
As mentioned, regarding Syntagma, sources confirm that while the State does not plan to act with excessive severity, any attempt to disrupt the parade will trigger a police response.
From there on, the real challenge for the government begins — maintaining order and protecting the monument. According to reports, the Ministry of Defense has already selected a cleaning company for the site, and on Sunday night, after Ms. Konstantopoulou, Mr. Routsis, and other supporters had left, the cleaning crew arrived at Syntagma.
Regarding the police operation, Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis is in constant contact with Nikos Dendias and has made it clear that there will be a strong police presence, especially around the cenotaph, where a woman attempted to stage a sit-in protest over the weekend and was subsequently detained.
“The law will be enforced. The Hellenic Police have a specific plan. No one will be exempt. You are absolutely right about that. No one’s presence there is prohibited, but any gathering that goes beyond the purpose for which this sacred monument exists — demonstrations, so-called ‘supporters’ standing beside grieving people to perform their revolutionary theatrics — actions that have nothing to do with the Sacred Monument of the Unknown Soldier will not be tolerated under any circumstances,”
said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis pointedly yesterday.
Obviously, there will be a balancing act on the ground, but after the parade, the situation seems set to shift.
The Mitsotakis–Dendias Coincidence
It should be noted that Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be in Thessaloniki at noon for the military parade, even though he is suffering from a mild virus — which is why he did not travel there yesterday as originally planned. On the officials’ platform, Mr. Mitsotakis will meet Nikos Dendias, following the recent tensions between the Maximos Mansion and the Ministry of Defense over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — tensions that were eventually diffused through the confrontation between the Defense Minister and the Mayor of Athens.
Furthermore, tomorrow Mr. Mitsotakis will visit the Pentagon (Ministry of Defense) for the presentation of the building’s new façade, designed by sculptor Kostas Varotsos. His presence there appears to coincide with the absence of Antonis Samaras and possibly Kostas Karamanlis, who as of yesterday remained outside Athens, having visited over the weekend Vouliarates and Kleisoura, villages of the indigenous ethnic Greek minority in Albania where his father, Alekos Karamanlis, fought in the epic campaign of 1940.
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