In a totally unacceptable statement, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Costas Karamanlis, called ticket dodges “scums of the society.”
“Those using the metro without buying a ticket should feel like dodgers and scums of the society,” baby face Karamanlis of the famous politicians family said in an interview with private Skai FM.
As expected, the statement triggered a storm of reactions with many Greeks to remind him the unpaid debts of his party New Democracy or his own problems with the prosecutor for 380,000 euros on his bank account he could not justify or how his cousin , ex Minister Mihalis Liapis, was caught by police for going around on fake license plates.
Όταν δεν πληρώνεις 1,40 στα ΜΜΜ είσαι απόβρασμα της κοινωνίας.
Όταν χρωστάς 200εκ.σε τράπεζες, 670.000 σε ΔΕΗ και κλέβεις ρεύμα είσαι το κόμμα των …άριστων. Η @neademokratia .#κυβερνηση_τσιρκο #ΝΔ_ξεφτιλες #νδ_απατεωνες— el_ges🍸 (@el_ges) July 31, 2019
” When you don’t pay 1.40 euros for public transport you are scum. When you owe 200 millions to banks, 670,000 to the PPC and more over you steal electricity then you’re the party of the excellent [as Mitsotakis calls ND].”
Όποιος μπαίνει τζάμπα στις κυβερνήσεις τί είναι γόνε; Για πες… #Καραμανλης #αποβρασματα #ΝΔ_ξεφτιλες #ΝΔ_θελατε #κυβερνηση_Μητσοτακη https://t.co/lEEJD0mkkr
— Giorgos Trapeziotis (@GTrapeziotis) July 31, 2019
“Who enters a government free of charge, is what?”
Αποβράσματα της κοινωνίας τ ακούτε? pic.twitter.com/UpAFNZtHr9
— TAKI13 (@AlexBeltsios) July 31, 2019
“Scums of the society, do you hear that?”
Τι έλεγες Καραμανλή junior όταν έπιασαν τον ξαδελφό σου, Μιχάλη Λιάπη με πλαστές πινακίδες; #Καραμανληςhttps://t.co/dLTy1K76rK
— Documento (@documentonews) July 31, 2019
“what did you say KAramanlis junior when your cousin, Mihalis Liapis, was caught with fake license plates?”
Κι όπως κάνουν πάντα τα πραγματικά αποβράσματα της κοινωνίας, αντί να παραιτηθεί, ψέλλισε ότι είναι ηλίθιος και δεν ξέρει να εκφράζεται. #Καραμανλης
— Διονύσιος Σουρλής (@dionsourl) July 31, 2019
“As the real scums of the society always do, instead of resigning he whispered he is an idiot and doesn’t know to express himself.”
Under the pressure of reactions and most likely also a “not so friendly” advise by ND leader and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Karamanlis doubled back his statement with a post on his Facebook account:
“Yesterday, speaking about for those who, without being entitled to free public transport, choose not to pay a ticket, I said that first of all they must understand that what they are doing is wrong. Obviouslyt hat they ought to feel like “scums” was a wrong and incorrect expression said in the flow of the speech.
To make it clear, by no means I believe that anyone does not pay a ticket is a “scum” or should feel that way.”
No, he did not apologize.
Who are these arrogant people in the current Greek government?
44-year-old Kostas Karamanlis from Serres, Macedonia, is the nephew of the charismatic National Leader Konstantinos Karamanlis a four-time Prime Minister and twice President of the Third Hellenic Republic, a towering figure of Greek politics. He is also cousin of former PM Kostas Karamanlis (2004-2009).
Has he ever used public transport means? Hardly.
Has he ever worked part-time for 300 euros? No way.
Did he mean that ticket dodgers should freely use the bus, the tram and the urban train ISAP? Apparently.
Had I be “Mitsotakis” I would have “resigned” him whether from Karamanlis family or not. But I’m not.
PS A heavy name carried by a light head, so say it politely….
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The problem is that many who are dodging the ticket price can actually pay.Many times when I go on the metro through the ticket barrier someone barges past me to get through at the same time,hitting me,scaring me as they do so.When I look at them I see that they are obviously middle class teenagers sometimes in a group,sometimes not,you can see them all laughing together when they get through.But why should they get through on my ticket,I pay,they dont,they can afford to pay and they have to pay like me,I dont want to pay,sometimes Im hard up but I PAY and I dont want to have someone hitting me as they barge past me period,so something needs to be done.They are not scum but their behavior is unacceptable.
Even though they often try, I do not to let anyone enter the turnstile while I go through. They are usually shocked that anyone would challenge them. I also ask for one euro if they want to go through with me because I refuse to pay for their ride.
I have complained at the Info/Complaint office at the Syntagma metro station after a number of metro employees told me it’s “not their job” to enforce the rules. The complaint office would only give me the email address of the security firm who’s job it is to enforce these rules. But many times, I have stood there and watched the security men do NOTHING as fare jumpers go through or climb over the turnstiles. When I ask them why they do nothing, they just shrug in a ‘what can we do’ kind of way. No one takes responsibility, no one cares. It’s always someone else’s problem.