Acclaimed Greek poet Kiki Dimoula causes controversy with alleged rant against migrants in Athens
Acclaimed poet Kiki Dimoula has caused controversy by allegedly launching a tirade against immigrants in her neighborhood of Kypseli, near central Athens.
According to Efimerida ton Syntakton daily, the 81-year-old said that there are too many migrants in Kypseli and that they take up the benches so nobody can sit in the main square.
She made the alleged comments during a walk organized by urban activists’ group Atenistas.
The newspaper said that two other participants in the walk, author Menis Koumandareas and director Menelaos Karamaghiolis, were quick to rebuff Dimoula’s remarks, arguing that migrants living in Kypseli were mainly family men and women.
Dimoula has been a member of the Academy of Athens since 2002 and was awarded the European Prize for Literature in 2009.
