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Greece looking to the US with concern and hope

Greece looking to the US with concern and hope

While eagerly awaiting the post-Trump era of US politics, Greek leaders condemned Wednesday’s storming of Capitol Hill in Washington by supporters of the outgoing Donald Trump. 

The incident occurred at a time when Greece is hoping that the new US administration of Joe Biden will adopt a different stance toward Turkey, after the Trump period which was seen as a free ride of sorts for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ankara’s aims regarding the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.

On the other hand, concern is growing steadily about the rise of populist conspiracy theories, not only in the US, but also in Europe. 

“Respect for the rules is the essence of democracy. Yesterday’s [Wednesday’s] violence is a dark moment in American history and those who instigated it bear great responsibility,” said President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, while Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis decried “the violence and horrific events.” “American democracy is resilient, deep-rooted and will overcome this crisis,” he said.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras referred to “extreme right-wing violence that proves how important it is to protect democracy.”

The president of the centrist alliance KINAL, Fofi Gennimata, noted that “the forces of populism and division are trying to blackmail democracy and overthrow the popular will, in Washington.” 

The secretary-general of the Communist Party’s central committee, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, claimed, among other things, that “the events in Washington are the mirror of a society in deep decline.”

Nationalist Greek Solution expressed concern that developments in the US could have an adverse impact on Turkey’s behavior. “American introversion could lead to Turkish impunity,” it said.

Meanwhile leftist MEPA25 referred to a “neo-fascist show,” adding that the causes of Trumpism are the recessionary forces generated by the policies favoring oligarchy and “austerity for many.”

Finally, in his capacity as president of the Socialist International, former prime minister George Papandreou said that a fierce battle is taking place in the US between the far-right and the democratic forces. It is clear that democratic forces will eventually prevail, he said, despite attempts by extremist groups encouraged by Trump to nullify the will of the American people.

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