Gvt Spox on fan violence, parliamentary row, NHS hirings and more

At the same time, the pandemic continues to rage, while Greek society is in a new shock from the murder of the 19-year-old for football team differences.

The government spokesman, Giannis Economou, spoke on the show Koinonia Ora MEGA, referring to the murder of the 19-year-old in Thessaloniki, the polarizing atmosphere that prevailed in Parliament against the background of the incident with Pavlos Polakis, while he also spoke about the recent suffering of thousands on snowed in roads as well as on the issue of compensation.

"Fan violence is a great and open wound in Greek society"

Commenting on the murder of a 19-year-old for fan disputes, Mr. Economou said that "It is a tragic case. It is a priority, following the instructions of the Prime Minister.

The police must find the culprits. We have a tragic development associated with fans. Football, and all sports must be joy. We must finally put an end to this downhill path. Stricter penalties should be introduced. The Penal Code has recently been tightened for all crimes against human life. Violence is a great and open wound in Greek society. The question is how we will all work at the level of mentality, logic, behavior so that we do not see such incidents again. "These behaviors must be addressed, in schools, in families, in public discourse."

"The opposition gradually escalated the polarization in Parliament"

Referring to the events of the last days in Parliament, starring Pavlos Polakis, the government spokesman commented that "We see the attempted polarization. We see the conscious choice by the official opposition to lead things to logics and situations that we had some 10 years to live in Greece. This is not accidental. The day before yesterday and yesterday's presence of the official opposition in Parliament was a culmination. But all this time we have been watching the peak of this situation. There is a chain of events. Before Mr. Polakis went to Parliament and did what he did, there was an incident at the Parliament cafe with Mr. Georgiadis over the weekend. Before that there were posts, threats against justice, articles and statements about guillotines."

"Polarizing and divisive discourse does no good in times of crisis"

"There has been a methodical escalation of this polarizing and divisive discourse throughout the past, with an abusive behavior. The opposition is trying to take the conversation out of what is the main stake of politics in every place, to move things forward. It is a conscious choice of the opposition to lead to images and situations of other times. Polar and divisive discourse does not do good in times of crisis. "In any case, our government will not follow this tactic," he added.

"More than 4,000 health workers will be hired in 2022"

Speaking about the pandemic and the situation in the NHS, Mr. Economou announced that "More than 4,000 health professionals will be hired in 2022. More than 12,500-13,000 health professionals have joined the NHS in the last year and a half. The ICUs have more than doubled, the NHS has been strengthened in the last two years as never before in the history of the country, in such a short period of time ".

Commenting on what will happen if health care suspensions turn into layoffs, he said: "Health care providers always have the choice to get the vaccine and stay in the system. There are specialties that there is a great shortage, for this effort is made with private doctors. There is a huge shortage of doctors in key specialties in the NSS, so the planning should take this data into account and organize when we escape the great pressure of the pandemic. For suspension, health officials must have been vaccinated with both doses to return. It is valid for the general population that if we have not done all 3 doses, we lose the privileges of the fully vaccinated ".

Mr. Oikonomou also referred to the gas canister attacks carried out by anarchist collective Rouvikonas.

"There is no sanctuary and the image of such actions is constantly improving, with a lot of work to be done, of course. Arrests were made for the attack of Rubicon on the offices of Attiki Odos and the Ministry of Civil Protection. The Penal Code is strict in addressing various issues, so that justice can be done with the rigor that is needed in such phenomena," he said.

"Trapped drivers can claim additional compensation beyond the 2,000 euros given by Attiki Odos"

Finally, speaking about the bad weather and the unbelievable suffering of thousands of our fellow citizens on Attiki Odos, Mr. Economou said that "For the compensations that have already been announced, Attiki Odos has committed to the Ministry of Infrastructure that it will submit the roadmap of compensations very soon. The money must be paid immediately. People suffered, they stayed there for hours. The process of investigating further responsibilities of Attiki Odos is in progress. The compensation of 2,000 euros does not mean that a citizen has no right to claim more. "or the responsibilities of the state mechanism as a whole, the level of coordination was notwhere it should be."