In a recent interview, Marinakis said that while the government will not immediately remove the names of the Tempe victims currently written on the pavement, no new acts of remembrance or protest will be tolerated once the new regulation takes effect. He stated:

‘From that point on, no new sprays, no new such events, no new inscriptions of names. From the passage of the amendment onwards, no one will be allowed to alter this sacred spot, which belongs neither to the Prime Minister nor to the government. Let me make it clear: from the moment the amendment passes, no new inscriptions of names, no sprays, no banners will be allowed. We will not go and erase the ones that already exist. They will remain as long as they last with time. We do not want to take any “aggressive” action. We do not want to play the game that some want to play, of polarisation and division by the opposition.’

Marinakis insisted that justice for the Tempe victims will not come through public demonstrations or symbols. ‘Justice in Tempe will not come with any spray. Justice in Tempe will come in court, with the attribution of responsibility to those who are truly responsible, and it will be attributed only by the judges, not by self-appointed judges represented by part of the political system. The monument to the Unknown Soldier has no connection with any other event, any demonstration, any tragic accident, or anything else. It is a sacred space dedicated to the heroes of the nation. So nothing will be allowed—no sprays, no names—after the amendment is voted on,’ he said.

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