Pensioner Yannis Lemonis is a member of socialist party PASOK. He had gone and took position as early as the doors for the National Convention of PASOK, that takes place in Faliro, suburb of Athens, a week before the elections for the new party leadership. In times of austerity and the Troika-Memorandums Lemonis saw his pension getting trimmed month by month. Walking with the aid of a crutch and carrying a white bag Lemonis neared PSI-Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos – one of the candidates for the new party leadership.
Bag with Goodies?…
The innocent looking bag was not carrying candies, cheese pies or souvlakia. The bag content was evil, even if it was equally innocent looking: plain white yogurt in plastic pots. The first yogurt landed on Venizelos who was obviously thinking he had to do with a fan and not with a tricky Greek pensioner bearing gifts!
Yannis Lemonis did not have the chance to hurl also the second pot. The security personnel took him away, while Venizelos went to change his jacket and tie.
Some Greek media claimed that Lemonis also hurled a water bottle, but did the old man had time to hurl all these things?
Lemonis holding a suspicious bottle of water
Sources close to Venizelos described the incident as “unfortunate” and said that it was created by a “mentally troubled person.” They blamed the organizers for allowing Lemonis to enter the Convention Hall.
Because of the incident the programme and the order of the speakers had to be changed. Venizelos was supposed to be the next speaker, when he became victim of the retiree who got angry about his continuous pension cuts.
sources and pictures: Zougla.gr, Ethnos.gr
I empathise with this elderly gentleman and all other pensioners.
Imho pensioners shouldn’t waste their few bucks on gifts for politicians. Just look at Venizelos, the last thing that guy needs is even more food!
On second thought, this incident makes the phrase “carry water for someone” look in a totally different light!
😀
You’re mistaking the Greeks. There’s no water in the bottles. It’s called the Tsipouro-Cocktail and each time politicians gets hit by it people will kindly ask them for a lighter to give some Sambuco arts show.
I often wonder if the foreign countries really believe that there are hungry people in Greece when the two people representing Greece (Venizelos and Pangalos) appear to be so well fed that maybe the EU and bond holders may think Greeks are fooling them?
this concept is based in populism. everybody here knows the two deputy PM overfeed themselves out of frustration for the plight of the Greek people.
Water, not Lemonada?
“Sources close to Venizelos described the incident as “unfortunate” and said that it was created by a “mentally troubled person.” They blamed the organizers for allowing Lemonis to enter the Convention Hall.” ????????????????????
Of course it’s always someone else fault…. there is no honor!