Varoufakis was attacked on the street by people in hoods: the politician’s nose was broken

Last Friday evening, near a restaurant in Exarchia, a group of 20 unidentified men attacked Janis Varoufakis, former finance minister and leader of the MERA-25 political party.

Provocation “puppetry”

In the evening, around 21:30, at one of the restaurants in Exarchia, where Varoufakis decided to look with friends and his wife, a crowd of unknown people gathered, presumably from a group that in Athens is called “kouklofores” – faces in hoods. Most often, local anarchists or ordinary hooligans take part in these groups, who thus find political support for themselves. However, among these groups there have always been a sufficient number of free agents of the police and special services, which the security forces use for provocations during demonstrations and protests.

The Kouklofores first insulted Yannis Varoufakis from the street, exclaiming that he had betrayed the interests of the left and “sold out to the troika (creditors)”, i.e. the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank”: “You are not welcome here because you signed memorandums “.

“Varoufakis got up to talk to them, but they immediately responded with violence, beating him severely while filming the scene,” adds DIEM 25, which first published information about the incident.

The wounded politician was taken to Evangelismos Hospital where he was treated for a broken nose, among other bruises and abrasions from the attack. One of the attackers was identified on Saturday from CCTV footage and detained. The charges include offenses of grievous bodily harm and gang formation, as well as misdemeanors of unlawful violence and illegal possession of weapons. Any other members of the found group will be prosecuted on similar charges.

On Monday, a 17-year-old boy will testify to a juvenile court investigator.

Thank U to our Greek NHS staff for treating me. Thank U all for your solidarity. Let us please stay focused: We are mourning the 57 victims of rail privatisation. We support the spontaneous youth rallies, the greatest hope that Greece can change. See you at the demonstrations 1/2

— Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) March 11, 2023

Early Saturday morning, Varoufakis, who is still a controversial figure in Greek politics, tweeted about the attack. Thanking the hospital staff for their treatment and the followers for their solidarity, Varoufakis wrote of the attackers: “They were not anarchists, leftists, communists or members of any movement. Bandits for hire they were (and it looked like) who clumsily referred to the lie that I sold out to the troika. We won’t let them divide us. Forward!”

With his comment, Varoufakis wanted to reject any attempt to establish a connection between past attackers and the area of ​​Exarchia where the attack took place, which has a reputation as a stronghold of anarchists and political radicals in Athens. However, one of the assailants arrested on Saturday was described as a 17-year-old anarchist known to police for his previous involvement in the riots.

Politicians react to attack on Varoufakis

Government spokesman Yiannis Ikonomou reacted to the news of the attack within minutes on Friday: “We strongly and categorically condemn the attack on MERA 25 (Party) Secretary Mr. J. Varoufakis. Gangsterism has no place in our democracy and violence in any form is unacceptable,” Iconomou tweeted.

Καταδικάζουμε απερίφραστα και κατηγορηματικά την επίθεση στον Γραμματέα του ΜΕΡΑ 25 κ. G. Βαρουφάκη. ?

— Γιάννης Οικονόμου (@joikonomou) March 10, 2023

“The Greek police will do whatever is necessary to bring those responsible to justice,” he added in another tweet.

Η επίθεση στον κ. Βαρουφάκη είναι απολύτως καταδικαστέα και δεν μπορεί να γίνει ανεκτή από τη Δημοκρατία Του εύχομαι ταχεία ανάρρωση και είμαι βέβαιages imes ελληνική αστυνομα καταβει κροστε οι οες νας

—Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 10, 2023

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wished Varoufakis a speedy recovery from his injuries and reaffirmed Iconou’s point of view.

Yannis Varoufakis was a highly controversial figure as Greece’s finance minister in 2015

Having come to power alongside his political associate Alexis Tsipras, Varoufakis was the protagonist of the dramatic 2015 Greek debt negotiations. As a professor of economics at the Athens Institute of Economics, he was appointed finance minister in January of that year, following the election of the SYRIZA government, at a time when public discontent with the austerity measures imposed by the country’s creditors was at its peak.

At the most critical moment for the Greek debt crisis, he was negotiating an extension of the loan agreement. While Varoufakis was initially able to secure flexibility from Greece on a core surplus target for 2015, he failed to reach a longer extension agreement on new terms and was instead presented with an ultimatum in the June Eurogroup.

In his memoirs, which Varoufakis published in the book “Adults in the House. Unequal struggle with the European” deep state “(the book was later removed Movie “Grexit”), the politician wrote that Greek creditors’ austerity measures against the country amounted to “terrorism”.

The stalemate led to the imposition of capital controls in Greece and the subsequent bailout referendum, which resulted in bailout terms rejected by 61.5%. However, Varoufakis resigned as finance minister, was replaced by Euclid Tsakalotos, and in August the Greek government accepted a third bailout package.

He did not run for re-election in the early elections in September, but instead founded the Movement for Democracy in Europe 2025 (DiEM 25) in early 2016 and its “electoral wing” in Greece, MERA 25, in 2018.

In the national elections 2019 MERA 25 won nine seats in parliament, and Varoufakis himself returned to lawmakers Wednesday. By the end of 2022, three other MERA 25 deputies left the party, but Varoufakis’s party can still claim 3.5% of the vote, which means its chances of remaining in parliament are still high.

Later The French Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Pierre Moskovisi, commented on passages from Giannis Varoufakis’ latest book, in particular regarding “negotiations with creditors in 2015”. According to Moskovisi, Janis Varoufakis is not “teaching a lesson” at all, but simply “rewriting/distorting history”. Moskovisi’s conclusion is categorical: “Varoufakis cost Greece dearly.”

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