Deputy Minister for Rural Development, Giannis Tsironis, submitted a draft law to the Palriament allowing municipalities to create “camps for strays in remote forest areas. The draft is also a huge insult to the thousands of animal lovers and the dozens of animal welfare societies in Greece that take care of strays paying huge bills out of their own pockets. Aim of the draft is “to limit the illegal management of strays by individuals and animal welfare societies,” Tsironis said in the justifying report accompanying the draft.
The outrage expressed by animal welfare organizations but also one or two SYRIZA officials have forced the Μinistry of Rural Development to withdraw a despicable draft law that would allow municipalities to locate stray animals in remote forest areas and under questionable conditions.
- Strays in remote camps? I don’t think so!
The law was submitted by Deputy Minister for Rural development and Food, Giannis Tsironis who has already be subject of intense criticism due to the new animal protection law. The SYRIZA minister who has apparently absolutely no clue whatsoever about the work of the animal welfare societies or dealing with stray animals in general, had submitted the “strays in the forest” draft in a sneaky way, “at night”, in law that had nothing to do with the issue was to be voted today Thursday. The draft was submitted 30 hours before the plenary debate. Who wold debate in favor of strays when the Novartis bribery scandal is in full development?
Tsironis’ Law foresaw that “all stray animals should be transferred to special facilities in remote forest areas.”
As stated in the report to justify the law, Tsironis had written that “the purpose of the provision is the care and the reduction of stray animals,” because
“with the introduction of the regulation it is allowed the establishment and operation of care and accommodation centers of every kind of stray animals in forestry land, public grassland and rocky areas. The aim is to limit the illegal management of stray animals by individuals and union as well as to protect the public health.”
With ‘unions’, this idiot of a minister means the animal welfare societies, of course.
“Never in such a few words has been said something so nightmarish for animals,” said the Pan-Hellenic Animal Welfare Federation.
Together with Animal Action Hellas (Greek Animal Welfrare Fund/GAWF), the Pan-Hellenic Federation issued a statement describing the draft law as “totally unacceptable” and said that the draft law was decided without consultation with animal welfare societies.
“This is an unlawful amendment, contradictory, ineffective, maligned and defamatory to those who have been managing animals. It is confusing to the law enforcement and thus unconstitutional,” the statement said among others.
Tsironis has still to explain what does he mean with the “illegal treatment of stray animals by individuals and unions” the statement underlined.
Furthermore, it added that there is no existing legislation with the terms of “care centers” and “accommodation centers” for strays and therefore “it is at least absurd to allow facilities that are not regulated by law.”
The statement stressed also that the amendment “degrades the protection of forest.”
Under the immense pressure by the animal welfare societies, the government was the necessity to withdraw the law. Deputy Environment minister Sokratis Famellos announced late on Thursday, that the draft is being withdrawn. He said that the draft will be worked out in consultation with animal welfare societies and all bodies involved and will be submitted again to the Parliament in a draft of the Rural Ministry.
The Eco-Green Minister Tsironis
And here one more reason for real outrage: deputy minister and politician Giannis Tsironis is environment activist and member of Ecologists Greens. He is currently a member of their Pan-Hellenic Council as well as editor of the party newspaper, Prasini Politiki (Green Policy).
He would not have been elected in the Parliament, hadn’t Tsipras go to Jan 2015 elections in political alliance with the Eco Greens.
No wonder that these Eco Greens have failed to become popular in the Greek society although they was a need fro such a movement beginning of the 2000.
read also Tsironis’ Animal protection law that would allow municipalities to do what they want with strays
If “Eco Green” Tsironis wants to do something useful for the society, the strays and the ‘public health’ he should organize campaigns to educate the citizens of this country and convince them to sterilize their pets and “adopt not buy.”
If this is Green Policy I wouldn’t like to know what Black policy looks like for the strays.
#SHAME
While wonderful, dedicated compassionate Greeks work everyday to save and help stray and abused animals, malicious political appointees like Deputy Minister for Rural development and Food, Giannis Tsironis announces how backward and inhuman so many still are in Greece. I will certainly spread his name and shameful reputation on social media in the US. But shaming these people, at we see with our own politicians, doesn’t seem to do very much.!!!