A newspaper in Greece that has made a career out of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is now accusing the Jews, the CIA and the leader of the Greek opposition of plotting to defame embattled Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou in order to bring down his Socialist government.
The daily morning paper Dimokratikos Logos (Democratic Word) has done so in a reference to the cover story of the current European issue of Time magazine, in which Papandreou is accused by Greek fugitive George Koskotas of receiving large bribes.
According to the Greek paper, opposition leader Kostas Mitsotakis “discussed with the powerful U.S. Jewish lobby the plot to bring down the government of Andreas Papandreou.”
The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece convened Wednesday in an emergency session on the matter.
Dimokratikos Logos and its sister publication, Avriani (Tomorrow’s Paper), have long printed anti-Jewish and anti-Israel stories.
A Greek government spokesman, Sotiris Kostopoulos, asked to comment on the Time story, said, “We have stated in the past that the plot against the prime minister of the country is being directed by foreign and local centers. We have no intention to add any clarification to the above statement.”
Papandreou plans to sue Time over the “despicable” article, the Greek government said on Wednesday.
Koskotas, who is now in prison in Salem, Mass, and fighting extradition to Greece, is the former owner of the Bank of Crete and of a press empire that collapsed in August when it was found he was embezzling funds.
The affair created Greece’s biggest political economical scandal ever. There have been rumors in Greece since the scandal broke that high officials were involved in the affair.
The scandal, subject of daily parliamentary and judicial inquiries, is so explosive that the entire Greek press, with the exception of Dimokratikos Logos and Avriani, has called on the government to resign.
Defamation of Papandreou is not new. He has been the subject of Greek media scorn for the last few years, much of it because of his appearance in public with a young mistress.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
