New Democracy ejects deputy governor from party over anti-Turkish comments
New Democracy on Friday dismissed Stamatis Karmantzis from the ranks of the conservative party after the deputy regional governor of Chios posted anti-Turkish comments on social media.
In his post on Thursday, Karmantzis wrote that he agreed with a slogan used by “our commandos that a good Turk is a dead Turk,” adding that Turkey is “a wretched, greedy and uncivilized neighbor dripping in blood, always devious and dangerous, always ready to strike and seize without mercy.”
His comments, which followed a recent spate of Turkish air space violations in the eastern and central Aegean, drew a storm of protest, with ruling SYRIZA calling for his resignation.
Karmantzis later sought to “clarify” what he meant in his post, by saying he had nothing against the Turkish people and that his comments targeted the “deep Turkish military state.” “Greek and Turks alike have nothing to do with the games played by Turkish diplomacy and the Turkish military," he wrote.
In a statement on Friday, ND said that Karmantzis's ejection from the party was "self evident."
