The opposition reacted immediately and sharply. SYRIZA MP Costas Zachariadis described the minister’s comments as ‘shameful and disgusting’, accusing him of showing no respect for human suffering. He also linked the stance to the government’s broader political responsibility.
Referring to Floridis’s appearance on Action24, Zachariadis wrote: ‘Floridis said this morning on Action24: “Trials do not provide special seats for prospective party leaders”, referring to Maria Karystianou.
‘The public discourse of the justice minister inspires nothing but disgust and shame. Toxicity and inhumanity with the approval and tolerance of Mr Mitsotakis.
‘The lack of respect for human pain shows the substance of both the man and the politician.’
New Left MP Nasos Iliopoulos was even more scathing. In a social media post, he accused the minister of deliberately provoking the families of the victims.
‘What Floridis has managed to “achieve” is truly difficult. With each new statement, he proves that even the phrase “we have hit rock bottom” is relative.
‘He is a dangerous man who insists on provoking the people who lost their children in the Tempi crime.
‘He is obviously entitled to present himself as an unfeeling bastard. But as long as he remains in his post, this line expresses the government as a whole and Kyriakos Mitsotakis.’
At the centre of the controversy is Floridis’s statement that ‘special positions are not provided for candidate party leaders in trials’, a remark widely interpreted as a jab at Karystianou.
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