There is Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek. He is apparently known for controversial comments triggering strong reactions. Whether Zizek has a weird sense of provocative humor or he believes what he says, I really cannot tell.
And then there is Alexis Tsipras, leader of left-wing SYRIZA, leader of main opposition party in Greek Parliament and main challenger of prime minister Antonis Samaras.
Zizek and Tsipras met last week in Croatia during an event called “Subversive Festival”. US film director Oliver Stone was also there but he did not speak out any controversial comment.
During a panel discussion, Zizek praised Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA “as one of the bright lights in Europe.” He went even further and claimed those not voting for SYRIZA should be sent to a Gulag, the infamous Russian labor camps during the Stalin era.
“If they don’t support SYRIZA, then in my vision of the democratic future, all these people will get from me a first class one-way ticket to a gulag,” Zizek said.
His proposal was applaud by the audience and Alexis Tsipras who burst into laughter.
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You think it was just a joke?
Samaras’ Nea Dimocratia did not miss the chance to use Zizek’s proposal into a tool of internal politics. It issued a statement describing Zizek’s comments as “bloodcurdling and repulsive” and called on Tsipras to explain why he did not react appropriately. “Thousands of people of Greek origings were killed in the Gulags,” said ND among others. Samaras’ party did not miss the chance to draw again a link between SYRIZA and extreme-right Golden Dawn, claiming that both are fascists and support the same policies.
SYRIZA responded to ND criticism in a very laconic way: “it seems that stupidity and absurdity have not limits in Nea Dimocratia,” said SYRIZa in a statement.
Today, former deputy PM of Papandreou government, veteran ex-politician Theodoros Pangalos, even proposed that “Tsipras should be punished with imprisonment,” for applauding Zizek. Pangalos indirectly described Zizek and Tsipras as “idiots and monsters.”
Odd enough, while the panel discussion took place on May 18th, but it became an issue whole two days later.
Since Nea Dimocratia officially condemned Zizek’s “gulag”, the proposal became an issue between Greece’s politicians and journalists and inflamed hot discussions at television panels.
The gulag soon mutated into a spicy gulash soup, where conservatives attack leftists for ‘showing disrespect for the victims of Stalin era’ and the leftist accusing the conservatives that ‘it was them who sent thousands of Greeks to former UDSSR after the end of the civil war’ in Greece.
PS Ach, these Greek internal politics…
