A feud between the leftist-rightist coalition government and the Athens-based Skai broadcaster continued unabated this week, with the former issuing a new statement taking to task the media group, which has emerged as one of its most vocal critics.
The latest chapter in the “grudge match” between the Tsipras government and the influential media group came after Skai television’s Twitter feed posted a Tweet that was accompanied by the hashtag “παραμΙΘΑΚΗ” (paramithaki), a word play combining Ithaca – the Ionian island identified with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey – and the Greek word “paramithi”, which means fable or bedtime story. “Paramithaki”, in this case, is a “little story”, or more metaphorically, a “small lie”.
Numerous Greek Twitter users employed the hashtag as a negative reaction to a nationally televised address on Tuesday morning by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who used the small harbor of Ithaca as a backdrop to herald the end of the third (and last) bailout extended by institutional creditors to Greece – i.e. an end to the country’s own “odyssey”.
“Accompanying the Twitter post by the news station Skai, regarding reports of a government reshuffle, with the hashtag “παραμΙθάκη” justifies, once again, SYRIZA’s decision to abstain from its (Skai) programs… it’s not a news channel, but an appendage of ND and the latter’s paid trolls,” a statement by the ruling party read.
ND is a reference to main opposition New Democracy party, which leftist SYRIZA now trails by double digit percentage points in practically all mainstream opinion polls for the past year and a half.
SYRIZA ordered its ministers, deputies and cadres to boycott Skai’s television and radio programs late last month, in reaction to an exclusive report by prominent journalist Takis Hatzis on Skai’s airwaves. The latter cited unnamed government sources as telling him that the police and fire brigade chiefs would be cashiered in the wake of a deadly July 23 wildfire in eastern coastal Attica prefecture.
The coalition government and relevant ministers reacted in anger at the time, leading to the boycott by SYRIZA party and its small right-wing coalition partner, the Independent Greeks’ (AN.EL). Protests to press unions and a fiery reaction by pro-government media followed.
Nevertheless, Hatzis’ report was confirmed on Aug. 4 when the Tsipras government announced new police and fire chiefs, a day after the embattled public order minister, Nikos Toskas, also left the Cabinet, 11 days after reportedly having tendered his resignation.
The Mati wildfire has claimed nearly 100 lives so far.
