Intense disagreements regarding the dividend of the National Technical University of Athens related to Tempi escalated between Giorgos Floridis and Kyriakos Velopoulos during a parliamentary session.
In response to Mr. Velopoulos’ attempts to undermine the scientific conclusions and personally attack Professor Dimitrios Karoni—whom he referred to derogatorily—the Minister of Justice urged the president of the Hellenic Solution to clarify his previous claims regarding “hidden dead,” “missing wagons,” and “flying flies.”
The discord also included remarks from Nassos Iliopoulos, the parliamentary representative from New Left, who called government members “bums.” Additionally, Alexandros Kazamis from the Eleftherias Party labeled Mr. Floridis a “political clown” and suggested cover-ups based on polling data.
“It’s unacceptable for Mr. Iliopoulos to insult the New Democracy members while the minister speaks. He should retract his statement. Otherwise, disciplinary action should follow. We acknowledge the heightened emotions but will not accept disparagement against competitors from the left,” countered ND parliamentary representative Thanos Plevris. Addressing the Eleftherias Party, he stated: “Mrs. Konstantopoulou must apologize to the victim’s family linked to illegal cargo transport.”
Floridis: “Where are your flies, Mr. Velopoulos? You misled the public.”
“So, Mr. Velopoulos, are there 57 dead in Tempi? And what about the 53 who boarded without tickets? What happened to them? Were the three missing wagons ever located? Shouldn’t the Greek public be informed? Was that wagon filled with illegal materials found? What of the smuggler who supposedly had 25 tons, then 20, 10, and finally just 3? Where are the flies seen in the videos?” the Minister inquired, addressing Mr. Velopoulos. He added: “Have you identified the 50,000 electronic accounts activated by a foreign nation to attack Greece? Have you looked into their origins? Check the Greek cybersecurity agency’s announcements for clarity.”
In response to Mr. Velopoulos’ attempt to discredit Mr. Karonis by questioning the authenticity of the NTUA’s conclusions, Floridis stated, “There are two NTUA expert reports—one from Mr. Karonis and another from Mr. Tsakiridis, indicating no fire traces were found in the engineers’ cabin or the train in question. I understand your dilemma, Mr. Velopoulos. The misinformation didn’t originate from us but from the ones you’ve intentionally led astray. You need to reconcile with the public who has suffered from the turmoil of the past two years fueled by fabricated conspiracies.”
Velopoulos: “When did I mention more dead or lost wagons in Tempi?”
In reply, Velopoulos distanced himself from allegations of “hidden dead” and “lost wagons,” arguing these were not his assertions but concerns raised by families. “When did I claim there were additional fatalities? I merely relayed relatives’ questions. When did I state there were missing wagons? I referenced an article in Kathimerini. When have I spoken of 25 tons of wood? You mention smugglers while the government ignores them. Regarding the flies, there’s no video as per the IEA’s statements. I suggested it’s a different season, not winter. We better understand video manipulation than you do. You also mentioned theories about 50,000 accounts.”
Previously, the President of the Hellenic Solution proposed a scientific critique of the National Technical University of Athens’s findings, suggesting the government seek new expert opinions from three prestigious foreign universities.
“I advocate consulting three universities; the outcome could be 3-0 or 2-1,” he noted.
Moreover, the President asserted that the recent findings attributing the pyrosphere to the train engines’ oils originated not from the NTUA but from “individual Karonis.” “What Karonis and Vryonis say doesn’t concern us. We had 57 fatalities,” he remarked. “This isn’t a scientific finding; it’s a conclusion related to Karonis’ work. If there are inconsistencies within his conclusions, can I truly take him seriously? He claimed to have viewed videos. I possess a 29-page confidential report from the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department stating no recordings were found on February 28, 2023, the day of the crash. So which videos did he actually see? Were they from another day entirely? How can he ascertain what transpired? Unless he possesses time-travel capabilities,” Velopoulos challenged.
“He (Mr. Karonis) discusses the ignition of silicone oils, stating that under stationary conditions, they don’t combust. Scientific conclusions are based on tests, not mere hypotheses,” he concluded.
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