The Agas is a traditional carnival ritual in which figures are symbolically ‘tried’ before a mock Ottoman lord, satirising the arbitrary system of fines imposed during the Turkish occupation. It was within this framework that Diamantis Fyllas, a former doctor at Chios Hospital, chose to deliver what the article’s author describes as an Islamophobic, racist and fascist outburst under the cover of humour.
Standing beside the Governor of Chios Hospital, Christos Tsiachris, who was the nominal subject of the mock ‘trial’, Fyllas stated that Tsiachris was ‘responsible for the drowning of 15 migrants’, implying that hospital care had saved the remaining survivors. The figure presiding as ‘Agas’ added: ‘And there were few.’ Fyllas agreed, saying ‘everyone must leave’, before escalating further, stating that Tsiachris would be appointed to ‘a large military hospital next to Adonis to teach him how to drown people’ – a reference to health minister Adonis Georgiadis.
Throughout the exchange, Tsiachris stood in silence, nodding, smiling and winking. He did not distance himself from the remarks at any point.
After some time, a single person in the crowd stood up and took the microphone to say that what had been said was a disgrace. She was met with mass booing. Someone took the microphone from her and declared that ‘today we are doing a custom and we can say whatever we want, and whoever is bothered can leave.’ The remark was applauded. Those present shouted at the young woman to go home.
The video was published by journalist Pantelis Fykaris, who subsequently posted Fyllas’s response in the comments. In it, Fyllas described his remarks as ‘an error of speech and style in a moment of private relaxation, in the form of satire’, and noted that he had himself been in the operating room fighting for the lives of survivors of the same shipwreck.
His full statement reads as follows:
‘I feel the need to apologise deeply and sincerely for a comment that does not honour me as a person or as a doctor. After 40 years on the front lines of hospitals, fighting daily for every life, I made an unforgivable error of speech and style.
My comment about the dead in Chios, which was made in a moment of private relaxation and in the form of satire, saddens me beyond belief now that I reflect on it with a clear mind.
The fact that a few days ago I was in surgery fighting for the lives of the survivors of the same shipwreck is no excuse.
On the contrary, it makes my mistake even more painful, as I know better than anyone the value of human life.
I apologise to the families who are hurting and to those who were rightly outraged.
My true identity lies in the thousands of hours I have dedicated to saving people without discrimination, and I want to believe that one bad moment does not nullify the values of an entire life.’
Christos Tsiachris, the hospital governor, has made no statement. It is worth noting that he is the same official who, according to health minister Adonis Georgiadis, informed the ministry that alleged NGO members had appeared uninvited at the hospital and were ‘guiding immigrant families with the possible aim of shaping a narrative for asylum applications or even complaints against the Coast Guard’ in relation to alleged pushbacks.
Contextual note: ‘Clean Monday’ (Καθαρά Δευτέρα) is the first day of Lent in the Greek Orthodox calendar and a public holiday in Greece, traditionally marked by outdoor gatherings and carnival events. The Agas custom is specific to Mesta, a medieval village in southern Chios.
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