Ruling New Democracy lawmaker who served as minister of Mitsotakis government since 2019, Lefteris Avgenakis, was caught by security camera to get physical against an employee of the Athens International airport.
Prior to the CCTV footage released on Wednesday, there was an official denouncement by the Athens Airport Employees union OSEPE who reported about the incident. However, the union spoke vaguely of “a former minister” and did not reveal the name of the man who served as rural Development and Sports minister from 2019 until early 2024.
The CCTV video footage shows Avegnakis to have entered behind the ticket control counter at Eleftherios Venizelos airport and assaulting the employee at the kin with the tip of his mobile phone because he missed his flight. The mobile belonged to the airport worker and the ex minister had grabbed it in an attempt to speak with a supervisor.
Furthermore, he threatened to have the employee “transferred” and when other workers tried to calm him down, he reportedly shouted “Don’t touche me, I have immunity!” the union stressed and called on authorities to protect airport workers.
ΑΓΡΙΟ ΞΥΛΟ ΑΠΟ ΥΠΟΥΡΓΟ ΣΕ ΥΠΑΛΛΗΛΟ ΤΟΥ ΕΛ. ΒΕΝΙΖΕΛΟΣ! #ΥΠΟΥΡΓΟΣ #ΑΕΡΟΔΡΟΜΙΟ #ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΟΣΒΕΝΙΖΕΛΟΣ pic.twitter.com/i2OC02jZ1c
— Voice News (@apokalyptikodel) July 2, 2024
The incident took place last Friday, June 28, when Avgenakis was to fly to Heraklio. Crete, but arrived at the gate when it was already closed.
He reportedly insisted to go through the gate but boarding was still denied as the employees followed the safety instructions.
According to OSEPE denouncement they had called him by name three times before the gate was closed.
The publishing of the CCTV footage triggered an outrage the majority of opposition parties to demand his removal from the Parliament and Greeks on social media sharply urging him to resign or PM Mitsotakis to have him resigned.
Public apology
Following the strong reactions, Avgenakis started to jump from TV channel to TV channel on Wednesday morning to apologize, to downplay the issue as only a “verbal incident” and to convince the audience that what they see on the footage it’s not “what they think it happened!”
Λυπάμαι ξεκάθαρα και ζητω συγνώμη για την ένταση και την αναστάτωση που προκλήθηκε πρόσφατα στο αεροδρόμιο με υπάλληλο εταιρείας, στην προσπάθεια μου να μπορέσω να επιβιβαστώ στην πτήση μου για το Ηράκλειο.
Την ίδια στιγμή όμως, είμαι έκπληκτος από τις υπερβολές και ανακρίβειες… pic.twitter.com/NVEcpgMsLy
— Lefteris Avgenakis (@l_avgenakis) July 3, 2024
In statement posted on social media, he said that he was “sincerely sorry and apologize for the tension and disturbance caused recently at the airport with an airline employee in my attempt to board my flight to Iraklio.”
He admitted that “there was an incident of verbal tension with the company employee, as he did not allow me to board, claiming that boarding had been completed, while I could see with my own eyes that passengers were still in the boarding bridge.”
“The employee repeatedly refused to allow me the opportunity to communicate with his supervisor or another responsible person from the airline as a last effort to manage to travel on time, which led me to try to take the phone from his hands to speak myself. However, the incident remained only at the level of disagreement and verbal tension.”
He expressed his surprise “at the exaggerations and inaccuracies circulating in recent media reports about an incident of ‘savage beating,’ ‘fainting,’ and ‘physical assault’ on my part.”
Speaking on Skai TV later today, Avgenakis described the incident as “a bad moment” and stated that since he had issued a “public apology” to the employee, there was “no consideration” of resigning.
Resignation demands
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis condemned the incident saying “Attitudes of You-Know-Who-I-am cannot be accepted by the prime minister.”
But voices of his resignation remain loud and the ex minister has been summoned by the Secretary General of New Democracy and the Parliament Speaker for what they describe as “explanations.”
There is nothing more to explain than what the footage shows, but it is highly possible that the PM will demand his resignation.
Αυτη τη φορά δεν είναι “ανθοσύνθεση 6000 ευρώ για το υπουργικό γραφείο” ούτε ο πίνακας ζωγραφικής του γραφείου που “φυγαδεύτηκε” με τον ανασχηματισμό και επέστρεψε μετά από κατακραυγή. Ο #Αυγενακης πρέπει να διαγραφεί από τον @kmitsotakis και να παραιτηθεί άμεσα και από βουλευτης pic.twitter.com/x3pzeKwVGw
— Γιώργος Καραμέρος (@karameros) July 3, 2024
It should be recalled that Avgenakis has been target of criticism for mishandling important issues while he was a minister. Among others, he had been also accused of spending 6,000 euros for flowers in his office and that he removed a painting when he left after the cabinet reshuffle on June 14 deprived him of his minister role.
It should also be stressed that if the raging Avgenakis was an average passenger, he would have been immediately arrested by the airport security.
UPDATE
Following the pressure and the outrage over the video the Prime Minister expelled Avgenakis from the Parliamentary group of New Democracy and in addition he will have to appear before the Ethics Committee of the ruling party.
The former minister said that the “PM’s decision was acceptable” and added that he will not return his seat as MP to the party to “keep serving the interests of his voters in Crete.”
He has been an MP since 2007. At 51, he is rather old to change profession and get a new job…
