Τhe Alternate Minister of National Defence, Dimitris Vitsas, today Tuesday, 22 August 2017, during an interview on SKAI FM and to the journalist Pantelis Kapsis stated amongst other things the following:
I absolutely agree with the statements made by the Minister of Justice and the fact that Greece, which has a long history behind it, in no case accepts, just like all the democratic parties in the world, the theory of far extremes and the equation of communism with Nazism. I believe that we do very well. The fact that in the frame of the need for opposition, the New Democracy party (ND) occasionally, I would not use the word “always”, and not all of them, adopts an extreme right rhetoric, is not going to lead anywhere.
I am saying this, because you know, whichever stone you lift in our contemporary history, there are left-wing supporters and communists, who have fought for freedom and independence in the country, together of course with right-wing patriots or centrist people, who have also dedicated their lives.
Look at the first communication of ND until some serious people appeared yesterday, who tried to change the topics, just like unfortunately the positions of its members, who originate from one party, PASOK, that for many years has blown its own trumpet, but also acted in the logic of independence and progress. These statements came as surprise to me.
On a question whether the reference made to crimes committed during communism and Nazism constitutes an equation of communism and Nazism, he replied the following:
Nazism has been convicted worldwide, amongst other things, as a murderous theory against the human race. I would like to remind you than when there was the Soviet Union and at the time of Chruschtschow, Andropov and Gorbatsow, a series of topics on the “Stalinist” period had been brought out.
I do not accede to and I urge other people not to accede to an effort that takes place over recent years, which attempts to rewrite history on one hand and on the other hand, it holds an anticommunist hatred towards a theory, which not only announced but also attempted to implement, and of course it failed, the liberation of people.
It should be reminded that on the specific resolution of the European Council invoked today by the people who organize the congress, all Greek political parties, such as ND through abstention, PASOK clearly directed against, as well as SYRIZA, did accede to that logic at that time. Decisions may be taken for a series of things involving the particular correlation at that time, but history is not written with political correlations.
There are moments and periods in the history of the Soviet Union that even the USSR made self-criticism. At the time of perestroika, many words have been spoken even by the most official lips. But this is not the case. We have the equation of communism with Nazism; two totally different things. I cannot use the word “currents”, because Nazism constitutes an anti-human ideology. On the other hand, there is an effort to form an anticommunist basis; have in mind that many countries in Europe have currently forbidden the existence of communist parties.
On this occasion, the Minister of Justice, the Government, does not wish to participate in a congress whose agenda involves the subject of our discussion today; it is misleading, it is purely anticommunist.
On the position of the members of Independent Hellenes (ANEL) party:
We have come to an agreement with ANEL, which of course does not change the characteristics of each political power. We aim at getting the country out of the guardianship and forming the conditions for exiting the crisis. Each person has his own ideology and each person has his personal ideology. Mr. Dimitris Kamenos expressed his opinion. I disagree and I am opposed to it. In this framework, I have an excellent cooperation with the Minister of National Defence, Panos Kamenos, aiming at the territorial integrity of the country.
