The President of SYRIZA accused the government of preferring “barbarism” to “civilization”. Alexis Tsiprasin his speech in Parliament today on the Museums Bill, while he stressed that culture and its people are “being persecuted”.

“Once again, civilization and its people are being persecuted. Systematically and planned by a government that behaves like a regime and tries to impose cruelty at every step,” Al. Tsipras emphasized and further spoke about “the cruelty of the jungle workers and flexible work, the cruelty of surveillance and extortion, the cruelty of precision, speculation and plunder of income, cruelty hundreds of thousands of first houses at auctions for debts of several thousand euros from the Pacis party, which owes banks more than 400 million.

“So, faced with the dilemma of civilization or barbarism, you have chosen barbarism. And you are trying to impose this on culture as well. By subjugating, devaluing, exhausting our people,” he stressed, denouncing the government for “serving the interests,” as well as for the “regime concept” that forces “all of us to become “someone,” as the late Melina used to say.”

“The regime of inequality and authoritarianism needs a cultural regime of silence, conservative ideology, slavery, lack of aesthetics and excess of anesthesia. Because Art by its very nature is naughty, naughty, heretical, and only then is it Art,” he said.

In particular, Al. Tsipras has accused the government of, among other things, of trying to “turn even museums from places of culture into places of commerce”, while at the same time seeking to imprison art school children, whom he treats “as clients of his friends’ private colleges” and “as to people with cognitive impairments.

In addition, he accused the government of “attacking with leaks and lies on their teachers who had the courage to resign”, with the help of “state” media, since, according to him, none of them covered concerts and rallies of thousands of people .

“These children are the future, not the Patsids or the children of the supreme judges who feed on the abbot of the regime and cooperate with the foundations that carry out the largest robbery of society in history. And they have no desire to resign when the Supreme Court is judging and condemning the future of 700,000 properties at auction,” said the President of SYRIZA-PS.

Speaking to the Minister of Culture, Line Mendoni, he emphasized that “the world of art and culture is on the streets of struggle”, noting that “these are excellent people who have decades of study, and you equate them with high school graduates, these are excellent graduates for the Greek Society and Greece. And not you, ruling with non-meritocracy, nepotism, favoritism,” he added, addressing the minister with a call to “repeal this decree, which is a decree on the persecution of Culture and its people,” pointing out that “under the weight of mobilization that cannot be hidden” , Mr. Mitsotakis “will finally agree to speak with a delegation of all those who allegedly do not know, allegedly ill-informed.”

“I advise you not to try to deceive them once again. He has only one thing to tell them: the police. resigns. And sorry for the dirt that you poured all this time,” he said.

In particular, with regard to the draft law on state museums, which turns them, in his words, “into legal entities with a designated administration,” he noted that “this is also the other side of barbarism.” “Even the ancient treasures of our homeland, our history, our soul are being traded and exploited,” he added, and described it as “an unprecedented affront to the historical and cultural burden of Greece”, referring to “the public redistribution of monuments as well as museums”, “for elite and wealth.

He attributed the government’s “intention” to run public museums “with private economic criteria, within the limits of commercialization, and with fierce competition among museums for funding and sponsorship.”

“The vulgar culture of foundations, sponsors, philanthropists, the powers that be, the elite instead of a concerted state policy of modernizing and renovating museums,” he characteristically said, criticizing “the right for their paleontology”, as well as for “sterile and self-serving archeology and “classical purity” that cover today’s cultural as well as general filth.”

He touched, in fact, on other issues arising from the draft law under consideration, such as cutting off small regional museums from large and necessary resources, “immediate” worsening of labor relations for current and future employees.

“While all of this is happening under the guise of proper private economic activity, there is not even a sustainability study for the entire plan,” Al said. Tsipras, warning that the “biggest danger” was “the establishment of branches abroad” that would “normalize the long-term or even permanent export of our cultural heritage”.

In conclusion, the President of SYRIZA-P.S. referred to his party’s commitments the following day, which he said were based on “respect” for art and its people and included “academic and professional recognition of higher art school degrees at TE level”, “creation of unified public higher education institutions” . art education for the performing arts”, “enforcing collective agreements for artists and cultural figures”, “protecting and promoting our cultural heritage and its organic inclusion in sustainable and equitable development”, “demanding the permanent reunification of the Parthenon sculptors”. and “liquidation of legal entity museums with designated administrations”.

“Because, in the end, support for Culture and its people, respect for History and traditions for us was not, is not and will never be a party position. But an unshakable and indisputable national imperative and moral obligation,” he concluded.

^{Source: RES-IPE}