Condemnation
13.09.2017-12:50
Vasilis Leventis, Chairman of Central Union Party (Enosi Kentroon) which is represented in the Parliament held a press conference at the Thessaloniki Fair.
We watched with astonishment his statements about the Muslims in this country, including the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minority.
The statements of Vasilis Leventis, in which he stated; ‘ we cannot allow the Muslim Party to enter Parliament’, ‘the interests of the country are above all’, ‘If the Muslim Party was 5%, then we would have the election threshold at 5%’. These statements cast a black spot on Greece’s political history. Vasilis Leventis, showed all Muslims living in Greece as targets and as a danger and threat, which bans politics for the citizens of this country and legitimizes efforts to create second and third class in the country. Leventis revealed a classic example of Islamophobia and slaughtered democracy with his expressions and views, which at the same time voicing some of the harshest hate speech. We condemn the racist and discriminatory rhetoric aimed at the Muslims living in Greece and the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minority by the Central Union Party Chairman Vasilis Leventis and invite him to correct these expressions. Such statements which target the Western Thrace Turks, who set an example to the world with their adherence to the country, those Muslims who settled in the country with hope for a better life, became citizens and are part of this country; are discriminatory and racist and do not serve the interests of this country. Such opinions and discourses are damaging to the democracy of our country and the country itself. Meanwhile, we would also like to emphasise that Vasilis Leventis, who stated that he ‘persuaded the Prime Minister not to lower the electoral threshold to 2%, by showing Muslims as a threat’ has left questions marks on the minds of our minority and the Muslims in the country regarding his approach towards them. We invite the Chairman of the Central Union Party Vasilis Leventis, who had previously made similar explanations, to commonsense. Share
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