Thessaloniki rally sows seeds of discord among governing coalition, baffles other parties

The rally gathered far more citizens than had been expected, by political pundits, posing questions of political strategy as well as tactics on the FYROM name issue, which has been pending for 25 years and which the Greek government has tried to "resolve" within the last weeks.

ANEL deputy, Dimitris Kammenos described the rally at Thessaloniki as a "vociferous message" to the government.

Mr Kammenos, whose party is part of the government coalition, but has diverged clearly from its main partner on the FYROM name issue, speaking to SKAI, said it was unacceptable that state television did not broadcast the rally, while stressing that now there will have to be some change in relation to the government's attitude.

"Anyone who does not listen is on the wrong path," answered the MP of the Independent Greeks, when questioned as to whether the Prime Minister should hear the message of the rally.

"Probably no solution will be found for the name," Mr. Kammenos said.

"A name with the term Macedonia, will be devastating," he said, clarifying that he would not vote for any of the names that have so far become known.

Meanwhile, the leader of main opposition New Democracy party, Kiriakis Mitsotakis spoke of "impressive participation" at the Thessaloniki rally for Macedonia.

The leader of the main opposition has stressed that he "respects" and "shares" this sensitivity to the name of FYROM. He added that this protest at the same time expresses the indignation of the citizens towards a government that seems unable to serve national interests.

At the same time, the government issued a carefuly worded statement, arguing that the rally in Thessaloniki was manifold, involving also citizens who are not related to the extreme right and chauvinism.

SYRIZA, however, added that as a result of the assault on former minister Kostas Zouraris and the squat that was torched by extreme right-wing elements took over the mobilization.

Finally, the ruling party supports the government has been striving to find a solution that will safeguard the country's interests and stability in the Balkans, in the face of irresponsibility and nationalism.

Indicative of the quandary SYRIZA is in, Deputy Minister of Health Pavlos Polakis, with a post on his personal facebook account, commented on Macedonia's rally held yesterday in Thessaloniki, initially, saying 90,000-100,000 demonstrators attended the rally, and stressing that many more had attended similat rallies in 1992.

"There were also people that were not far-right, but the tone was set by fans of the junta, ancient Greek spirit crackpots, groups of transported Golden Dawn members, a dark part of the church with [bishops] Anthimos and Ambrosios and of course the attempt of part of New Democracy to set up a "serious Far-right, with Failos, Samaras, Georgiadis [meembers of the party leaning more to the right]" and ganerals of the type that cry "let's shout long live the special forces" with the rational "where is a sergeant to save us," wrote, inter alia, the Deputy Minister of Health.

"Mr Mitsotakis, having run out of political fuel and seeing the country climbing out of the well of the memorandums, has grafted the history of negotiating with Skopje into his plan of the left-wing parenthesis [a reference to Mitsotakis' nomer for the SYRIZA government], hoping for an "accident within the ruling majority," he said.