Exarchia metro protests a ‘political fetish,’ says Athens mayor
Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyiannis has derided those opposing the construction of a metro station in downtown Exarchia and a redevelopment program at nearby Stefi Hill as a minority that has “found an excuse to fight an ideological battle.”
Speaking to Skai TV, he stressed that the area’s “permanent residents want the metro.”
“The point is for people to see things changing in their neighborhoods,” he said, decrying the stance of protestors who have tried to prevent construction crews from beginning work this month on the station, which will be located on the district’s main square.
“They see it as a political fetish. But that is not the case. The metro is for everyone, it has no left and right cars, not left and right trains,” Bakoyiannis said.
“I find it hard to imagine how anyone can invest, even politically, in a city’s failure. But they feed on this; it is the logic of absolute nihilism,” he added.
