SYRIZA’s leader, Sokratis Famellos, paid a visit to the abandoned Kitrenosi grounds in Rethymno, flanked by prominent figures like Heraklion MP Haris Mamoulakis, Rethymno Mayor Giorgos Marinakis, and Deputy Regional Governor Mary Lionis. The reason? A brewing disagreement over the government’s proposal to create a closed migrant centre in Crete, a move SYRIZA flatly rejects.
Famellos did not mince his words regarding the government’s approach, calling out the Prime Minister and the Minister for Migration and Asylum for their absence from the critical situation on the ground. He described the lack of preparation and diplomatic incompetence as dangerous, not only for Crete but for Greece as a whole.
Even local authorities, whose job it is to mediate the day-to-day, seem to have had enough. Marinakis backed temporary identification and short-term shelter solutions but warned the government that turning a whole island into a “prison” for migrants is a recipe for trouble. Lionis, never one for sugarcoating, called the plan for a closed facility both pointless and unacceptable, pledging that Crete would not accept such a role.
The disagreement rides on a simple fact: Crete’s capacity to handle refugees is stretched thin. The local sense of solidarity, no matter how deep, won’t cover for international obligations that, according to SYRIZA, the current government conveniently ignores.
OPEKEPE Corruption Turns Up the Heat on the Government
Just as tensions over migration peak, SYRIZA is gearing up to turn up the political pressure. Famellos used the trip to Rethymno to highlight the OPEKEPE funding scandal, where illegal subsidies allegedly funnelled away support earmarked for farmers. He accused the Prime Minister of using party loyalists to divert public funds and called the episode a blemish for both the country and Crete’s hard-working agricultural community.
SYRIZA’s next move? Drafting the proposal for a preliminary investigation committee to finally shine a light on former ministers Makis Voridis and Lefteris Avgenakis, targeting charges of breach of trust in public finances and aiding others in doing the same. Famellos made it clear: Greece deserves better, and SYRIZA is ready for a fight.
- SYRIZA’s leader and core officials visited Rethymno, rejecting the government’s plan for a closed migrant centre on Crete.
- Famellos denounced the absence of government leadership in handling the migrant crisis and criticised failures at every level.
- Local government figures expressed concerns about the impact and fairness of turning Crete into a detention hub.
- The scandal surrounding OPEKEPE has turned into a political flashpoint, with SYRIZA seeking official inquiries and pushing for accountability.
- Upcoming meetings and a focus on migration policy reforms keep the story in public view.
SYRIZA’s leader Sokratis Famellos, joined by local officials, opposes the creation of a closed migrant center in Crete, criticizing the government’s response to migration and exposing a fresh scandal in agricultural funding (OPEKEPE). This report outlines who’s involved, what happened, and what’s at stake as SYRIZA takes aim at the ruling party’s decisions and demands real change.