The Democracy Movement strongly condemns the public attitude of Mr. Kyriakos Velopoulos, President of the Greek Solution, on the occasion of his recent radio position on the report of Mr. Tasos Dede’s report For the tragedy of Tempi.
The phrase “I wish your children were there” cannot be perceived as an instant exaggeration or personal reaction. It is a blatant insult to the families of the victims, to the memory of the wronged people, and in general to the values that must govern public discourse.
The President of the Democracy Movement, Stefanos Kasselakis, was immediately and clearly positioned, calling on all political parties and the Speaker of the House to take initiatives to ensure the quality of parliamentary dialogue and public expression.
Tragedy in Tempi: New Passenger Binning from Wagon 2 – “I thought we would die of suffocation”
A series of online posts followed by Mr. Velopoulos himself, in which:
• Expressed his statement as fragmentary,
• a personal attack that received during the broadcast,
• Reduce, erased and modified statements, instead of directly taking responsibility to apologize immediately.
We believe that such behaviors undermine the credibility of political discourse.
We call on the Speaker of the House and all parliamentary parties to examine the issue with the seriousness it is appropriate and to stand up to the circumstances. Institutional alertness and political responsibility are basic prerequisites for a healthy democracy.