The Deputy Minister of Public Radio and Television Pantelis Kapsis has repeatedly stated that the occupation of the ERT HQ at Agia Paraskevi by the former ERT employees is “out of his jurisdiction” and a matter than requires the intervention of a prosecutor.
Meanwhile a group of 32 New Democracy MPs have co-signed a petition demanding that the government take all the necessary measures “to ensure that the rule of law is restored in public radio and television”.
Mr. Kapsis commented in an interview on Real FM that if the interim public broadcasting service DT does not take over the Agia Paraskevi facilities “there is a risk of it not being able to cover the Greek EU presidency”.
Journalist federation ESIEA promptly issued a response accusing the Deputy Minister of playing with words, threatening employees and being divisive and added that “if he wants the country to meet its obligations with the EBU, he must find a way for public radio and television to operate again with seriousness and institutional transparency”.
Kapsis responded that “ESIEA is distorting reality once again” and that he “never said that DT’s program is inferior to that program of the occupied stations”.
