Greeks on social media and also prominent journalists lashed out at a man, an alleged guest at the Presidential Palace for the festivities of Democracy restoration. The man pictured in the Palace garden was wearing bermuda shorts and flip flops.
“The palace guards should have kicked him out,” screamed a journalist at Skai TV on Monday morning, while his colleague propose that all those in charge be fired.
On social media and apparently also in other media, radios and TV channels, Greeks claimed that this “disrespectful” respected man offended the President of the Hellenique Republic, mocked the institution of the Presidency and insulted Democracy.
At any case this cheeky and contemptible “reviler” of the country’s politics and institutions in such an outfit certainly deserves ridicule, if not the collective condemnation by the society, the critics claimed.
In zero time, anonymous and eponymous users on social media described the man as an anarhoaplytos – a dirty anarchist – from the left-wing “solidarity front who had no suit and who wanted to make a (inexcusable) political point on the day Greece was celebrating the 48. anniversary of the democracy restoration in 1974.
Soon the mass hysterical front seemed to have discovered who the man was: they pointed out at the editor in chief of an opposition daily newspaper, who admittedly has appearance similarities with the floppy man.
They published the editor’s in chief name as well as the name of the big daily.
What is interesting in the smear campaign and the outrage without a cause is that the picture published on media and circulating on internet was cut and did not show what was clear: that it was taken before the event, and the ‘guests’/workers were holding plastic bags.
Monday noon, the man in bermuda shorts and flip flops revealed his identity in a post on Facebook and the reason for his presence in the palace.
The man was Ioannis Stratakis, a famous violinist, a worker, and not a guest at the festivities.
He said that he went directly from the beach to work and he was going to get a glass of water before changing his clothes and take a seat for his performance.
“And here it is, after almost 50 years serving the arts, I became famous because of a slipper,” Stratakis wrote among others.
He explained that due to an 1.5 hour drive to the Palace, he did not want to wear his suit due to heatwave and to risk it would be destroyed by sweat. Furthermore, he noted that refreshment drinks for the workers were placed about a kilometer away from the artists’ dressing rooms.
“This morning I realized I look like a well-known journalist/editor in chief of a known newspaper, who got into trouble (besides my own shock,) the man wrote.
He continued stressing:
“I’m sorry to have caused such an uproar, partly justified if one don’t know that the photo was taken well before the event start.
I am also sorry that I was the occasion for so much verbal venom to be spilled on the internet.”
Democracy is not made of clothes. Ask Cleisthenes and Pericles about the brand of suits they preferred. I’m closer with the flip flop… And no, I didn’t go to make some political statement or proposal. I am small and satisfied,” Stratakis wrote.
Ready for the performance in proper outfit.
Ioannis Stratakis, 60, is leading violinist of the ERT Symphony Orchestra, the Camerata MMA, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra of Athens, chamber musician and instructor.
PS Greece has turned into an extremely toxic society, ethically and politically. No cure.
KTG you said:
“Greece has turned into an extremely toxic society, ethically and politically. No cure.”
For sure certain elements have become very toxic – maybe the cure is critical thinking? (critical thinking is of course currently discouraged)
Poor gentleman, a victim of the mass hysteria by a bunch of lunatics, easily led. Shows how easy it is to instigate a smear campaign, I wonder if there are other victims to smear campaigns at this moment.
Those that are determined to be offended, sometimes called “legion” because they are many nowadays, will always find a reason to be offended.
Never judge a book by it’s cover!
The easily offended may have an important role to play in the future.
I am currently researching ways to harness the energy released by the constantly offended and ways to feed it into the grid.
This new energy source will be called “Perpetual Emotion”
mikey😎😎.
The result of the use of social media by lunatics without brains
Really??? THIS is what they care about?? THIS???? Much bigger and more important things nobody bats an eye but a man in flip flops is the end of the world??? JFC I’m sorry, I love Greece but this country has no hope