A rally is being held outside Hippocrates Hospital in Thessaloniki by New Democracy officials, members and supporters, in memory of Vagia Nestora, the mother of New Democracy politician Aphrodite Nestora, who died following the recent arson attack in the city.

The main slogan of the gathering is “We are not afraid of you.”

A photograph of Vagia Nestora has been placed outside the hospital, where those attending the rally are laying flowers in her memory.

“We are here for two reasons: first, to express our condolences to Aphrodite Nestora, a New Democracy official, a fighter, who witnessed her mother being murdered right before her eyes by anarchists, by far-left extremists, by all those who plunder and try to create no-go zones in Greece. In the face of all these people, the New Democracy government has made a significant effort in recent years, particularly here in Thessaloniki, where there are no occupations at any university. And we believe that what happened yesterday was a retaliation against all of the government’s efforts. “We believe that ‘zero tolerance’ should cease to be just a slogan on social media posts and should instead be put into practice by the state and the New Democracy government,” stated ONNED President, Orpheas Georgiou.

“Unfortunately, we are here today mourning the loss of a member, and of course Aphrodite Nestora, who lost her mother so unjustly in a senseless, murderous attack. We shouldn’t have to wait for a gas can to realize what blind attacks mean. Even someone coming to your home and throwing flyers. The home is sacred; we must understand that. We must stop tolerating this. We must not turn a blind eye to such attacks. Today it’s Afroditi Nestora, Zisis Ioakeimovich, and Savvas Anastasiadis; tomorrow it will be one of us. “We expect the entire opposition to condemn not only the tear gas canisters but also the leaflets,” said Panagiotis Lembesis, deputy secretary of the New Democracy Political Committee.

The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, traveled to Thessaloniki yesterday while authorities continue their investigations to locate the perpetrators.

In its call for a rally, the New Democracy party states that “the day after the tragic loss of Vagia Nestora, following yesterday’s murderous attack on the homes of three of our officials in Thessaloniki, finds all of us in New Democracy filled with deep sorrow and unwavering determination. The extended family of our Party is in mourning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Nestora family—with Afroditi, her father, and her loved ones.”

The rally is being held to honor “the memory of Aphrodite’s mother, who was taken from us too soon,” while New Democracy notes that “we are uniting our voices against terrorism,” emphasizing that “we are not afraid of you.”

See photos from the rally at the Hippocrates Hospital: