Journalist Ingeborg Begel, a decades-long correspondent in Greece for Dutch media, became the face of the day when she asked Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a joint press conference of the Greek and Dutch prime ministers at Maximou on Tuesday when he would stop lying about refugee deportations. The prime minister, who is far from used to being criticized by the plethora of pro-government media, reacted with obvious anger and personally attacked the journalist. He even insisted that she had not visited Samos to see the good condition of the refugees at the new Reception and Identification Centre, a claim which Ms Begel denied, noting that she had visited the new reception centre and that it was a sad and inhuman prison.
Since yesterday, a sexist character assassination attempt has been underway by pro-government media, who have published photos and personal details of her, often distorting them. They have also tried to make up fanciful conspiracy theories about her presence at the press conference. She is responding today via the «Eph: »I said what all journalists should have said two years ago, but no one did.«.
● Your presence in Maximou and your question to the two prime ministers has given fuel to scenarios. How did things happen?;
I said what every journalist should have said two years ago, but no one did
I was invited by the Dutch embassy to attend the press conference at Maximou as a Dutch media correspondent in Greece. I normally decline these invitations. These are not press conferences, but theatre. This time I went for one purpose: to break this Orwellian situation around refoulements. To stop lying and let our leaders lie. In these press conferences you never get a serious, correct answer. So what mattered was the question. I was inspired by Jeremy Paxman of BBC News Night during the war in the former Yugoslavia. His best moment was when he interviewed Karadzic. ’Why don't you stop killing these people?« he asked him. He didn't get an answer, he asked again seven times. The last time he told him, »Mr. Karadzic, you are talking nonsense, you are lying, we are wasting our time,« and ended the interview. I asked, »Mr Mitsotakis, why don't you stop lying?«.
● You were given the opportunity to ask one of the two questions, but it seems that they were surprised by what you asked, even though you consistently raise these issues in your responses.
They didn't know me. If the press office had done its job of seeking information, they probably wouldn't have given me the opportunity to ask a question. It wasn't premeditated. I raised my hand and shouted like everyone else, maybe a little louder than the others. After the question, the atmosphere froze. It was kind of funny, because people who were smiling before were now turning their backs on me and averting their eyes. When we left the room with the photographer, we instinctively felt that we were being watched. A strange woman sat next to us and pretended to talk on the phone, we tried in vain to get a conversation with her.
● The Prime Minister found the question offensive and reacted angrily.
I went for one purpose: to break this Orwellian situation around refoulement. To stop lying and letting our leaders lie.
I was not aggressive, the Prime Minister was. His outburst clearly shows his incompetence and weakness. It is proof of the existence of the dirty policy of refoulement. When the Prime Minister makes the big mistake of stating that he is offended by someone telling the truth, he has no arguments. I said what every journalist should have said two years ago, but no one did. A tragedy is unfolding before us, known to the whole world. They lie that there are no findings, no case more grounded in a multitude of evidence. For two years we have tried polite questions to no avail. Now it is time to face the issue head on. If you see how much time, energy and money the mechanisms in Greece need to cover up the repatriations, you will understand that this is a deliberate policy.
● Is the Prime Minister's remark that in the Netherlands there is a tradition of direct questions from journalists, unlike in Greece?;
The remark says a lot, not about the Netherlands, but about Greece. The job of a journalist is to ask direct questions everywhere. Mr Mitsotakis has in fact admitted that Greek journalists are muzzled. Anyone he fails to silence will be insulted and attacked, as happened to me. Greece's position in the global press freedom rankings has dropped dramatically since the Mitsotakis government took office. I would say that in the Netherlands the press is better, but even there it has got much worse in recent years. Many mainstream media have become mouthpieces of the government. That is why my question was enthusiastically received in the Netherlands by many people. There are posts saying ’We need to bring Ingeborg back to the Netherlands to ask her questions in the tasteless and meaningless government bluffing’.
- Most of the mainstream media in Greece were concerned not with the repatriations, but with your personality.
A character assassination was attempted in order to silence me. I think the explanation is that I try to break taboos with my work and that always causes aggression from people who have a hard time. I don't read all the negative comments. But I have experienced hate mail and threats several times before in the Netherlands as well. In these cases, those who have difficulty avoid dealing with the content, but look at the wrapping, how you have dressed, whether you used the right words. It wasn't a matter of wording. I said things as they are. As to things that were said, that I have servant immigrants or that I broke the law for hosting an undocumented immigrant, none of it holds water. The Afghan I am hosting was granted asylum after waiting six years. I have no servants. I also host a Greek homeless man, I help Greek families and stray dogs. I am a man who spreads his wings so that those in need can get underneath.
- You have also blamed the Dutch Prime Minister for the refugee issue and for refoulements.
Mr Rutte is the one who, together with Hungary and Austria, does not want the Netherlands to take a single refugee from Greece. When my colleagues told him in 2015 that Greece's borders are European and the refugee issue is a European issue, he said it was a geographical misfortune of Greece. He is the worst prime minister in the history of the Netherlands. His government has been brought down by scandals, a bigger party has come out, but no government has been formed for seven months because the other parties do not want him as prime minister. Mr Mitsotakis's crime is that instead of his government persistently asking Brussels for solidarity by relocating refugees, he is taking hundreds of millions of euros to build prisons, where he will leave refugees to rot there, invisible to Greeks and tourists. They have copied the worst system, the Australian system.
The interview was granted to Dimitris Angelidis
