Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Sunday that the Ministry of National Defense will assume exclusive oversight of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in front of Parliament.
“Next week, a legislative regulation will assign sole responsibility for the protection and proper operation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to where it truly belongs – the Ministry of National Defense,” Mitsotakis said.
The decision follows a public debate over the use of the monument, which arose after Panos Ruci, the father of a Tempe train crash victim, held a hunger strike for 22 in front of the Tomb next to a makeshift memorial for the victims. A small tent that was installed to protect the father form the sun and the cold at night became a red flag in the eyes of conservatives and government-affiliated media who claimed the area had turned into a “gypsies camp.”
At the same time, hundreds of supporters visited Panos Ruci daily to express their solidarity by day and night.
Referring to Ruci’s hunger strike, Mitsotakis emphasized that the monument should not be used for demonstrations.
“Can a historic monument such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier become a venue for events unrelated to its purpose? My answer is no – especially when all citizens are free to express themselves through gatherings or demonstrations in countless other public spaces,” he said.
Mitsotakis decision has angered a part of the society that accuse him of ignoring the Constitution and and by assigning the Armed Forces with the guardianship of the Monument this has clearly features of the generals’ the Junta.
It should be stressed that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located under the Parliament and opposite of Syntagma Square where Greeks gather for protest rallies.
Also left-wing opposition parties expressed their objection with the New Left to say characteristically: Mitsotakis “should not even think of it!”
Communist KKE said that the government instrumentalizes the Tomb,” SYRIZA described the involvement of the Army as “unacceptable”, while PASOK wondered “Does the Prime Minister understand the implications?”
