Deputy Health Minister Pavlos Polakis continued his verbal attacks against journalists in social media by bullying SKAI TV journalist Pavlos Tsimas.
On Saturday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke at the Thessaloniki International Fair and then answered questions from the press. Alpha television journalist Evangelia Tsikrika, who is about to lose her job because the station she works at will shut down after failing to get a license in the recent auction, asked the prime minister why, in essence, he leads her to unemployment with his decision to allow only four stations to broadcast nationwide.
The argument irritated the prime minister who said that the stations that don’t have a license must shut down and that the money from the auction are very important for the general public good.
Tsipras’ argument generated controversy. On Sunday, Polakis posted on his facebook account pictures of the journalist with former prime minister Antonis Samaras and in his sarcastic comments characterized her as a “maid” and “adulator” of the previous government.
SKAI commentator Tsimas criticized the deputy minister’s behavior — who in the past has made offensive comments against judges, television stations and individual journalists, and smokes during press conferences — saying that his verbal bullying is no different from the behavior of ultra rightists Golden Dawn lawmakers in social media.
The comparison of his practices with Golden Dawn practices infuriated Polakis who wrote on facebook that “the love of money makes you a Tsimas” and that the journalist is “freaking out before his time to pay.”
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