The Thessaloniki City Council has recently moved forward with naming two city parks in honor of the late former Mayor Yiannis Boutaris and the legendary singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos.
While the tribute to Savvopoulos was widely accepted, the decision to honor Boutaris has sparked intense backlash from nationalist groups and the Pontian Greek community.
Opposition to Thessaloniki’s Boutaris Park
The Pan-Pontian Federation of Greece (POE) issued a stern “No” regarding the naming of the park opposite City Hall after Yiannis Boutaris. Their opposition stems from past statements made by Boutaris regarding the Pontian Genocide, which many in the community found deeply offensive and revisionist. In their official statement, the Federation argued:
“Honoring a person who publicly questioned the historical truth of the Genocide of the Greeks of the East is an insult to the memory of our ancestors and the 353,000 victims.”
They characterized the City Council’s decision as a “provocation” that ignores the collective trauma of the Pontian people. The tension was visible both outside and inside City Hall. Demonstrators carrying Greek flags gathered outside the building, demanding the proposal be scrapped. The session was briefly suspended when a representative of the “United Macedonians” group disrupted the proceedings, scattering leaflets and calling the decision “unacceptable.”
Mayor Angeloudis’ defense
Despite the protests, Mayor Stelios Angeloudis defended the move as a “debt of honor” to a man who served the city for two terms. He condemned those attempting to “politicize” the tribute:
“We will not participate in or fuel this attempted division. The only moral heirs of Yiannis Boutaris—his three children—requested a simple space of remembrance with humility.”
In contrast, the naming of “Dionysis Savvopoulos Park” (located between Georgiou Papandreou and Maria Callas streets) was met with praise. Angeloudis described Savvopoulos as a “great ambassador of Thessaloniki,” ensuring that the artist’s legacy remains permanently linked to his birthplace.
Why is Boutaris polarizing Thessaloniki?
To understand the “Pan-Pontian” reaction, it is helpful to note that during his term as mayor, Yiannis Boutaris was known for his unconventional and often provocative views. He repeatedly angered hardliners with his controversial statements on the naming dispute with North Macedonia and the history of Greco–Turkish relations.
Boutaris declared his wish to build an Islamic mosque as well as monuments to Thessaloniki’s Jews and to the Young Turk Revolution. He claimed that construction of such monuments would attract Jewish and Turkish tourists to Thessaloniki, as these tourists would want to visit the hometown of their forefathers.
On May 20, 2018, a group of Greek ultra-nationalists physically assaulted Yannis Boutaris for which he received medical treatment afterwards. The group was angry over his appearance at a remembrance event for the Pontic Greek victims of Turkish genocide.
Boutaris believed that Thessaloniki should have embraced the Turks because it was the birthplace of the founder of Turkish democracy, Kemal Ataturk.
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