– Shortly before the 2023 local elections, some Government officials were blackmailing voters asking them to vote for the New Democracy candidates. The most notable example was in Thessaly, where the Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis, essentially said that «If you want compensation, vote for Agorastos»...

– After the elections, the government in an unprecedented move by the ruling party, tabling an amendment in the middle of the night kicked the City of Athens out of the «Athens Regeneration» project». It was a clear act of bullying on the part of the Prime Minister’s Office toward the new mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, who, however, also spoke of other, more sinister motives. He was apparently referring to the fact that he had previously announced an audit of the finances of “Anaplasi” and the possible liability of former Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis… There were also reports regarding the removal of radio station 9.84 from the Municipality of Athens, but following strong reactions, the government issued a denial.

– I’m also reading complaints about the Kythira: According to these “Communities that did not vote for the mayor’s chosen candidates are ”punished” in the recent local elections, which is why certain critical projects are not moving forward…

We live in a time when Authoritarianism is a globally dominant practice. The Turkey continues to hold the Cyprus's 40% «just because it can». In the Gaza Israel is moving forward with genocide “because it can.” In the Ukraine Putin does whatever he wants «just because he can». Worldwide rights are revoked from women – the poor – minorities etc., simply because the powerful everywhere «can»…

In the context of the authoritarianism I'll include the unjustified accuracy. They are unjustifiably raising prices simply «because they can»—in supermarkets, in the energy sector, and elsewhere. At the same time, they keep wages and pensions at unacceptably low levels—again, «because they can»…

After World War II, institutions were created to protect the world from dictators of all kinds. In Europe (perhaps the most democratic part of the world), laws and regulations were enacted to protect everyone’s rights. Recently, this global human rights system has been brutally undermined on multiple levels. International law has been replaced by the “I’ll do it because I can” mentality. The UN and the EU are calling for the rights of refugees, women, and people of all sexual orientations to be respected, but Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ms. Meloni, the Church, and many others cannot tolerate this.

The situation is getting out of hand. At U.S. universities, students and union activists who support the Palestinians are being targeted, ...the president of Harvard is forced to resign (because she is Black, a woman, and a peace advocate…), in many countries women’s right to decide for themselves whether to have children is being called into question, and in Greece we’re debating whether all marriages should be equal (the same-sex marriage law)—an issue that has been “resolved” for decades in the EU. In a number of countries, women are imprisoned because they want to go out without headscarves, they want an education, and they want rights.

Under these circumstances, I believe that (as Savvopoulos used to say) «the time has come to decide who you’ll go with and who you’ll leave behind.» I know it’s not easy to go against the grain. But it’s the right thing to do if you want to be at peace with your conscience. This is where we’re all put to the test.

At the same time, it saddens me to see those who claim to be «willing» to support any form of authoritarianism, simply for a «little position» somewhere, for an «assignment,» for a «small allowance.» I am not unaware of the enormous survival needs that many people face. But here, we are all being judged… It’s a small place, and we all know each other.

As our great poet Manolis Anagnostakis wrote:

It wasn't his fault; that's just how he was
and people are now full of demands
since today he wouldn't say ’yes" in the same way
Now prudence and judgment are in short supply

Is your will really so weak?
Is your pain really that bad?
The damage was to the scale
It's always someone else's fault

P.S. It's borderline ridiculous and risk being ridiculed, and some who write that even the closure of the ELTA post office in Potamos in 2023 «It's someone else's fault»—just to shift the blame away from their beloved government…