File photo.
Afroditi Latinopoulou, leader of the far-right Voice of Reason party, launched a fierce attack on the New Democracy government on Monday, accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of fostering corruption and calling for sweeping crackdowns on migrants.
Speaking in an interview with Skai TV, Latinopoulou claimed there was “an umbilical cord of corruption” connecting the state with vested interests. She alleged, without providing evidence, that Mitsotakis had created “a huge state” to benefit “cronies, associates, illegal immigrants, criminals and gypsies,” and accused the government of maintaining “five cartels” in sectors including energy and supermarkets.
Latinopoulou also issued a series of inflammatory remarks about migrants, saying she supported a “sweep” in Greek neighborhoods and arguing that only Greeks should reside in them. She said migrants should be confined to uninhabited islands such as Gyaros and Makronisos, both of which were used as places of exile during past authoritarian periods.
She further called for revisiting the death penalty and proposed chemical or surgical castration for individuals convicted of sexual offenses against minors. “When we are talking about the lives of children,” she said, “conditions have changed and we must change as well.”
The government did not immediately comment on her remarks.
A Marc poll released on Sunday put her party at 2.4%, below the 3% threshold for entering Parliament.