An even stranger twist followed this week’s high-profile resignation by the head of Greece’s newly formed space agency – noted Greek-American project manager and scientist Stamatios (Tom) Krimigis – with the political opposition and much of the media in the country quickly shifting attention to the latter’s successor due to a pair of provocative Internet posts.
Former Hellas Sat Consortium president Christodoulos Protopapas, Krimigis’ successor, appears to have authored one Facebook post that reads: “Greece and Greekness (Romiosini) never die, you European bitches. When we were building temples and writing comedies and tragedies, you were living in the mud, eating raw meat and speaking, unwashed, with faltering howls.” The inflammatory post is accompanied by photographs apparently showing the Cypriot electrical engineer and telecoms executive posing in front of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, southeast of Athens proper.
A firestorm of criticism followed, with political parties issuing condemnations, and extensive opprobrium unleashed on social media against the coalition government, given that Krimigis leveled particularly critical remarks at his political supervisors.
“Conditions are being created that undermine the three ‘As’,” Krimigis wrote, using the first letter of the Greek words for “evaluation”, meritocracy” and “excellence”.
Another Protopapas writing that was widely reproduced by the press, and reportedly posted on his personal blog on Dec. 3, 2013, referred to a 20th century Greek Orthodox saint – Aghios (St.) Porphyrios the Kapsokalyvite – which he called the “Wise Saint of Technology”.
The new president of the Hellenic Space Organization (ELDO) wrote, among others, that “…when he (St. Porphyrios) was alive he could recognize and see, with his own eyes, the geological layers beneath the ground better than any seismic research; the galaxies and universe farther than the most advanced astronomical telescope and cells and disease viruses in greater detail than the best electronic microscope … St. Porphyrios achieved the miracle of contracting time for one hour, as a favor to 10 nuns”.
