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Greeks hurl yogurt at Deputy Prime Minister (video)

It was shortly after 10 pm last night when Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos was enjoying a dinner together with his wife and some friends in Kalyvia town in southeast Attica basin. A group of  150 angry residents from nearby town of Keratea  gathered outside the tavern to protest the presence of  riot police squads at the controversial landfill area.

Within minutes one riot police squad was called in to protect the famous Greek politician from the citizen’s rage. However Pangalos misinterpreted the situation and went out to talk with them.

 The residents asked him to withdraw the riot police from Keratea. The dialogue proved unfruitful as he told them that first they have to stop protesting and then the riot police will go. This answer angered the already frustrated residents and a yogurt cup flew through the air, leaving white spots and stains on the Deputy PM and his personal guards.

After the incident, deputy Prime Minister of Greece, went back to his friends and continued his dinner. (sources:realnews.gr , zougla.gr and all major and minor Greek websites)

Video

 

It has not be confirmed whether it was a full fat yogurt or a light version, a plain yogurt or a yogurt dessert. For certain, there were no fruits in it.

Greek tradition of throwing Greek Yogurt

Throwing yogurt as a mean of protest has a long tradition in Greece. Not only because Greek yogurt is tasty,  cheap and with scientific proven health benefits.  It leaves behind easy to remove stains – much easier than from a “thrown pie” full of butter, eggs, chocolate and possible artificial colours. Therefore I don’t know why it is consider “funny” in the USA to throw a pie, where housewives would spend hours to remove the stains.

Even Theodoros Pangalos declared after the incident ” Yogurt doesn’t harm me, I am not afraid of yogurt, that’s the truth.” (newsbeast)

However, not long time ago, the act of throwing a yogurt used to be a penalized act and thus by law.

Law 4,000/1958

Law 4000/1958 was a legislation introduced by the Greek government in 1958 and dealt with young troublemakers, the so-called “Teddy boys” . The law penalized verbal insults and the throwing of yogurt. “Teddy boys” were arrested by the police, were given a buzz haircut, the revers of their trousers were ripped and were paraded handcuffed through the streets of Athens to publicly humiliate them. The law was in effect until 1983. (source: wikipedia)

Greek director Yiannis Dalianides was inspired by the law and created the  classic film “Law 4,000 ” (Νόμος 4.000) in 1962.

Video:Excerpt from the film – Scene shows the Teddyboys attacking with yogurt the High School Principal. 

Theodoros Pangalos, member of the Socialist government,  is the third recipient of a hurled yogurt in modern times. A conservative and a left wing politician were also victimized by one or more dairy products flying in the air. These examples show that hurling a yogurt has no ideological borders.

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2 comments

  1. I would say that it is definitely a light version otherwise does not give such a nice way out of the pot. If it was full fat version then most probably it would be throvn all together with the pot.