Athens Mayor Haris Doukas and Israeli Ambassador to Greece Noam Katz have clashed fiercely in the distance, after the latter accused him of not protecting the city from organized anti-Semitic groups and that Athens' image discourages Israeli tourists.
"He doesn't clean the city and makes Israeli tourists feel uncomfortable," the Israeli diplomat said in an interview with Kathimerini.
With harsh criticism of the genocide in Gaza and recalling the values of democracy, Doukas responded to Katz's attack. The mayor said that Athens is the capital of a democratic country, which absolutely respects its visitors and protects the right of free expression of its citizens.
"As the city's municipal authority, we have proven our active opposition to violence and racism and we do not accept lessons about democracy from those who kill civilians and children in food lines, from those who lead dozens of people to death every day in Gaza, from bombs, hunger and thirst," Doukas stressed.
The mayor of Athens also responded to the ambassador's remarks regarding graffiti, saying that " the ambassador's focus is only on graffiti (which is obviously being erased), while an unprecedented genocide is taking place in Gaza . "
In conclusion, Haris Doukas stated that "in the last year, the number of Israelis granted a Greek Golden Visa has increased by over 90% ," sending a message that the country remains open and welcoming, but not silent in the face of what is happening in the Middle East.
PASOK also issued a statement, calling, among other things, on the Greek government to take a stand towards the Israeli ambassador.
" We call on the Israeli ambassador to address the events in Gaza, the systematic ethnic cleansing, the famine against the Palestinians, the abandonment of his fellow citizens as hostages and all the crimes against humanity committed by the Government of his country, which have provoked the reaction of the international community, as well as the democratic opposition and the academic community of Israel, and to put aside aesthetic remarks against the mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, and the municipal authorities ," the main opposition party emphasizes. (A2 Televizion)
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