The attention is on Greece’s new radical left Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, considered the man of the moment, but the Daily Mail decided to pay tribute to Peristera (Betty) Batziana, the woman “behind the man”. In an article entitled, “Woman who radicalized the ‘Greek Che Guevara’: How publicity-shy first lady helped new PM lead a communist student revolt”.
The article says Tsipras’ long-time partner had urged the 40-year-old to become politicized when, in his youth, he was more interested in sport. The Daily Mail states that meeting Ms. Batziana, and a knee injury, caused him to divert his attention from sport to radical leftist activism and, just a year later, they were leading a reform against unpopular — as far as Greece’s politicized pupils were concerned — of educational reforms at a high school in the Ampelokipoi district of Athens.
Tsipras’ family is described as bourgeois, as they say Europe, or solidly well-off and middle class, as they say “across the pond”. It is Batziana that is described as “strong-willed, militant and dynamic”, so say friends at the University of Patras where she once took one of her university professors to court for undermining her thesis.
Amongst her dislikes, apart from perceived injustice and global capitalism, are shopping and being in the media spotlight. Public appearances have been few.
