OT exclusive report: SYRIZA’s Tzanakopoulos flies off the bat, attacks comrade

The Inside Stories column of ot.gr published an exclusive report about impermissible goings on through the fault of Dimitris Tzanakopoulos at the party’s HQ on Koumoundourou Street on Sunday night after the announcement of the results.

As OT revealed, penetrating the offices of the 5th floor in Koumoundourou, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos verbally attacked and when the situation escalated he also used violence against Panagiotis Rigas with the worst being avoided following the intervention of calmer persons there.

The cause of Mr. Tzanakopoulos’s reactions, which are alien to the ethics of politics – especially when we are talking about the Left – was his assessment that the expansion of the party was responsible for the defeat of SYRIZA and in particular the opening to PASOK officials, a choice that Mr. Rigas had passionately supported, hence he became the recipient of Tzanakopoulos’ outburst.

OT.gr inside report

As the inside stories column typically states:

“I want to inform you that Mr. Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, in addition to being a multi-talented person, is multilingual! Among other things, he also speaks “French” [Greek slang for expletive use] very well and even as an authentic “longshoreman”, as journalists of old used to write.

Barroom brawl

They informed me, therefore, that on the evening of last Sunday, he attacked Mr. Panagiotis Rigas, suddenly. And after the “French” the issue descended to the level of … chairs and tables of the office on the fifth floor. The commotion caused the curiosity of many neighbors of the floor, who “saw and had to” restrain the enraged Mr. Tzanakopoulos.

Enlargement

The reason for the attack was the political assessment of the SYRIZA-PS cadre that the party’s expansion is to blame for the defeat. And Mr. Rigas is among those who defend this position passionately. Of course, such “events” that are used as an “argument” to defend political opinions rather belong to the environment of the so-called football fan clubs, and not to politics!

Party organs

But I am learning that the issue is not going to stop there. Mr. Rigas, according to my information, is going to take up the issue with the Political Secretariat of the party – it is said that it will meet on Saturday – and will request his removal from the party body and his referral to the Ethics Committee. Will it be done? I am curious…”

Rigas appeals to Poltiburo and the Ethics Committee

This reaction of Tzanakopoulos rightly created a multitude of reactions with those attending absolutely agreeing that the issue is deeply political, it reveals dangerous attitudes, a sense of ownership if not authoritarianism, and an insult to the party’s institutions and collective decisions. In any case, it exposes attitudes that are not consistent with the principles of SYRIZA and precisely for this reason it should not have remained hidden.

Mr. Rigas, regarding his intention to raise the issue with the party’s organs, informed the inside stories column, on Wednesday afternoon, that he did raise the matter with the Political Secretariat of the party and requested the referral of Tzanakopoulos to the Ethics Committee with those present at the unprecedented episode to testify as witnesses, apart from the personal security detail of Alexis Tsipras.

The event is expected to be examined and judged by the competent bodies at the meetings which, according to convergent information, will take place immediately. Because when a high-ranking member of the party attacks comrades in a shadowy way and reacts in a way outside the morals of the Left and in fact at a time when maximum unity and composure is needed for the reconstruction of the party, this is a serious oversight and the subject of political reporting and not “political gossip” as one political commentator called it in an apparent attempt to downplay it – although it is highly doubtful that downplaying such events ultimately works to the party’s advantage.