Serious damage to SYRIZA’s political radar
The leader of the leftist SYRIZA party, Alexis Tsipras, along with the party’s senior officials, are busy analyzing the reasons behind their landslide defeat in the legislative elections held on May 21. This process of introspection is expected to continue even after the second ballot on June 25.
However, there are two critical issues that seem to be overlooked in this reflection. The first issue is the seriousness of Tsipras’ attempt to reach out to supporters of the now-defunct neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which was convicted as a criminal organization. This outreach occurred shortly before the election and just a few hours prior to the controversial statements made by MP George Katrougalos, who insinuated that SYRIZA planned to link insurance contributions to income levels for both wage earners and freelancers.
The second issue is SYRIZA’s repeated use of insulting language against the media and journalists.
Both far-Right voices and those from the opposite side have used derogatory terms describing broadcasters as ‘smut,’ ‘filth’ and ‘sewage’
The credibility of the press and journalists is being challenged globally. During times of turmoil like the present, this phenomenon is escalating dramatically, and Greece, of course, has not remained unaffected. Journalists bear a significant responsibility for this, at times justified due to the actions of a small minority, and at other times due to the tolerance shown towards them by the majority and journalists’ unions. However, between this point and the manifestation of sweeping, extreme and abusive attacks against journalists lies a sea of vitriolic hatred that pervades society and normalizes the targeting of individuals. This toxic environment also fuels the proliferation of fake news through social media.
What is unfortunate is that the perpetrators of these attacks seem to be oblivious to the fact that they are not alone in playing such a detestable role. The images of now-jailed former Golden Dawn deputy leader, Ilias Kasidiaris, attacking media representatives on camera have not been forgotten. It is also worth noting that a collage of journalists’ photos, initially featured in a vulgar publication promoting far-Right positions, reappeared a few years later, this time in black-and-white, in a post by a member of the “radical” Left. Both far-Right voices and those from the opposite side have used derogatory terms describing broadcasters as “smut,” “filth” and “sewage,” while journalists have been dismissed as “systemic,” “parrots” and “loudspeakers.” Furthermore, a subsequent article in a pro-SYRIZA newspaper referred to the media “underworld.”
There are other examples, but instead of listing them all, let’s acknowledge the fact that among those denouncing these actions are journalists from partisan publications or those whose views align closely with the party’s stance.
