Tsipras: Culture is being persecuted again in Greece

Tsipras spoke of “a difficult day” and expressed SYRIZA-PA’s deep sorrow, noting that the prematurely deceased Santorinios had done ‘important things both as an MP and as a minister”. Regarding the bill on museums, Tsipras said that culture was being persecuted in Greece and quoted the words of Melina Mercouri: “Without Culture we are nobody. Culture is our soul. Culture is Greece. That is why our people, who have both a history and memory and an identity and carry the cultural heritage of thousands of years, have always given the correct response in conditions of poverty, occupation, persecution to the dilemma many times presented by life’s cruelty: Culture or barbarism.” Tsipras also noted that “culture and its people were persecuted for a long time in Greece and in the most brutal way,” noting that while someone would think that these black pages belong to the past, “today we are seeing the same history repeat itself and, unfortunately, not as farce.” “Once again, culture and the people of culture are under persecution. Systematically and with a plan by a government that behaves like a regime and with every step seeks to impose barbarism,” underlined Tsipras, adding: “Faced with the dilemma, culture or barbarism, you have chosen barbarism. And you are attempting to impose it on culture by subordinating, devaluating and grinding down its people.”