Politics

Works by Christophoros Katsadiotis vandalised. Courtesy National Gallery–Alexandros Soutsos Museum A politician from Greece’s rightwing religious Niki party has attacked four works in The National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum in Athens. The focus of Nikolaos Papadopoulos’s ire were contemporary engravings by Christophoros Katsadiotis with religious themes. The institution temporarily closed after the incident and Papadopoulos was taken away by police. Icon 1, Icon 16, Icon 17 and Saint Christopher are all featured in the group show The Allure of the Bizarre, an exhibition that runs alongside a show of 80 engravings by Francisco Goya. On Monday, Papadopoulos and an accomplice entered the museum and removed the works from the wall, threw them to ground and stamped on them. ...

[Shutterstock] The Greek government said Friday it will take legislative action if new withdrawal fees reported at former Piraeus Bank ATMs now operated by private firm Cashflex are confirmed. “No loophole for withdrawal charges will be tolerated, not even at a portion of ATMs,” government sources told local media, adding, “If two-tiered fees are detected, the government will intervene.” The controversy follows complaints from customers being charged up to 2.10 euros to withdraw cash from ATMs they previously used for free. The affected machines, about 850 in total, were sold by Piraeus Bank to Cashflex, in which the bank retains a 20% stake. Many of the ATMs are located in high-traffic public areas such as metro stations, hospitals, superma...

A preliminary investigation has been launched by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) into subsidy payments allegedly received by Kalliopi Semertzidou, a member of Greece’s New Democracy party, and members of her family.According to reports, Semertzidou and seven of her relatives are believed to have received agricultural subsidies totaling €2.5 million between 2019 and 2024. The case revolves around funds disbursed by OPEKEPE, the Hellenic Payment Authority for Common Agricultural Policy Aid Schemes.The probe follows a media report that raised questions about the legitimacy of the subsidies granted in the Thessaly region. In response, the EPPO has initiated a fact-finding process to determine whether any wrongdoing occurred.A critical element of the investigation will be the fin...

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has drawn strong criticism from opposition parties after announcing that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in central Athens will now fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense. The move, unveiled just before his departure for the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, has reignited debate over the proper role of the military in civilian spaces, with critics pointing out that under the Greek Constitution the military’s role is reserved to protecting the country’s borders.“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier carries deep symbolic weight, tied to the history of the nation,” Mitsotakis said during a visit with the President of the Republic. He added that opposition parties had “rushed to engage in revolutionary theatrics,” insisting that Greeks should...

In a dramatic escalation of political tensions, Stefanos Kasselakis, the former leader of Greece's main opposition party SYRIZA, publicly burned an extrajudicial legal notice he received from Grigoris Dimitriadis, the nephew of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The act, captured in a video posted on social media, underscores ongoing controversies surrounding alleged surveillance scandals involving the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP) and the Predator spyware. Kasselakis, who has positioned himself as a fierce critic of the ruling New Democracy party, described the notice as a "gift" from the "nephew of excellence" – a pointed reference to Dimitriadis's family ties and his former role in the prime minister's office. The notice stemmed from Kasselakis's recent response to Health M...

Visitors gather to watch the change of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, situated in front of the Greek Parliament, prior to a vote on an amendment banning protests and any alterations in the area, in Athens, on October 22, 2025. [Louiza Gouliamaki/Reuters] It’s clear to anyone not wearing partisan blinders that pain does not unite us politically; it divides us, and this is one of modern-day Greece’s greatest tragedies. We’re talking about a massive meta-problem: The way we handle problems is our greatest problem. And what is this way? Deeply divisive.  The 2013 murder of Pavlos Fyssas by neo-Nazis was supposed to have prompted an unreserved sense of political unity – that didn’t quite happen. Grief and outrage soon led to squabbling between the country’s two ...

When Alexis Tsipras, former prime minister of Greece and ex-leader of the left-wing SYRIZA party, announced his resignation as a member of parliament this week, he made it clear that this was not a farewell to politics altogether. “I am not resigning from political activity,” Tsipras emphasised. For months, political talk show panels have been discussing the possibility of Tsipras setting up a new party, but no one had predicted his immediate resignation as a SYRIZA MP. His move surprised not only his political opponents but also his close associates. SYRIZA’s current leader, Socrates Famellos, acknowledged Tsipras’s decision respectfully, emphasising that despite the fact that they have different perspectives on how to get rid of the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his centre-right ...

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has said his recent remarks about ancient philosophers and modern Greeks were misinterpreted by Greek media, stressing that his comments were made in a spirit of “friendly humor.” Rama addressed the issue in a post on X on Friday, following reactions in Greece to statements he made during a panel discussion with Greek-American journalist John Defterios at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. During the discussion, Rama said that Greeks often “underestimate others” because they believe they hold a “monopoly on philosophy” and see themselves as the “direct heirs of Plato and Aristotle,” adding, “but you are not.” In his response, Rama said he was “truly surprised by the reaction of some media outlets in Athens and a Greek politician regarding a report of mine, ...

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivered a resolute message during today's cabinet meeting, declaring: “In turbulent times, the strength of our values alone is not enough. We also need the value of our strength.” He stressed the urgent need to bolster Greece across multiple fronts, stating that “strengthening the homeland in defense, diplomacy, economy, and society is critical.” In an era of uncertainty, he added, “political stability is a national necessity.” A key highlight was his proposal to expand voting rights for Greeks abroad through postal voting in national elections, coupled with the creation of a special three-seat constituency dedicated to the diaspora. Under this plan, the total number of nationwide parliamentary seats would revert to 12, while the electoral thresho...

File photo. A migration and asylum bill under debate in Parliament has sparked strong criticism from opposition parties, independent authorities, and international organizations. Critics argue the bill violates international conventions and introduces unworkable measures. The Association of Administrative Judges said migration “cannot be addressed with repression and stricter residence or asylum rules.” The bill, to be voted Wednesday, would jail rejected asylum seekers who remain in Greece and abolish a residency permit pathway for those living in the country for seven years. Deportations for some long-term residents will be suspended until March 31, 2026. Asylum requests remain suspended for migrants arriving on Crete from Libya, despite E...