Failos Kranidiotis
Failos Kranidiotis | |
|---|---|
| President of the New Right (Greece) | |
| Vice President | Panayotis Doumas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1965-10-16 Piraeus |
| Citizenship | Greek |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Relations | Divorced |
| Children | 2 female |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Failos (Garoufail) Kranidiotis (Template:Lang-el) (born 1965) is a Greek politician, lawyer and columnist, chairman of the political party New Right (Nea Dexia).
In March 2016, Kranidiotis, a close associate of former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, was ousted from conservative New Democracy by leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis over controversial online comments he posted in response to a diplomatic faux pas by Migration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas.[1]
Early life
Born in 1965 in Korydallos, a poor popular district of Piraeus. His father was a public servant at the Piraeus Port Authority and his mother a stitcher at a Kokkinia Garments Manufactory. Kranidiotis studied the Law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and works as a lawyer since 1992. He served as a Reserve Officer at the 2nd Paratroopers Battalion, in Aspropyrgos.
In 1999 he became known as the lawyer of Abdullah Öcalan, participating actively in the campaign of the Kurdish leader, which ended with his capture by turkish agents in Nairobi, Kenya.[2]
Early political career
His first steps were made with the Greek Union for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples, founded by center-left politician Michail Charalampidis. In 1988, he was arrested following an incident at the Unknown Soldier's Memorial in Athens, when he threw the wreath deposited by the then Mayor of Constantinople Bedrettin Dalan, who as an officer of the Turkish Armed Forces participated in the turkish invasion against Cyprus, and later became involved in the seizure of vacant properties of Greeks in Constantinople.
In 1989 he was on the side of Antonis Tritsis when, after leaving PASOK, he created the Greek Radical Movement and joined the three-member Committee of the Secretariat. Since 1993 he has been a friend and collaborator of Antonis Samaras, and he has been involved in the Political Spring venture. In the European elections of 1999 he was a candidate MEP for the Political Spring. For his very close relationship with the former prime minister he has said: "with Antonis Samaras we are partners in arms." He persistently refused the title "secret advisor" and has spoken of "a long and uninterrupted political and fraternal relationship." He's been a founding member and president of the "Network 21" organization, which was identified as an organization of the awakened national Greeks.
In the elections of 2012 he was a candidate MP for New Democracy at the Piraeus B District, but 4.065 votes were not enough to elect him. Failure repeated in both 2015 National Elections, although he had doubled his votes.
In December 2015, he filed two lawsuits against Greek Education Minister Nikos Filis (SYRIZA) in connection with controversial comments regarding the 1914–23 genocide of Pontic Greeks by the Turks.[3]
New Right (Nea Dexia)
Shortly after being expelled by the newly elected New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in 13 May 2016, Failos Kranidiotis founded the New Right political party, by submitting to the Supreme Court a founding declaration,[4] signed by some 200 people. Three days later, using a short YouTube video on the cover page of the official website of the party he announced to the public the foundation of Nea Dexia.[5] On 1 June 2016, Kranidiotis announced the fundamental principles and the official leadership of the party, in a press conference held at the Electra Palace Hotel in the center of Athens.[1]
The party leadership consists of a leading triade, the chairman, Failos Kranidiotis, Vice President Panayotis Doumas and Secretary General Christos Christidis, and the National Council that counts 18 members.[6]
Failos Kranidiotis and his Vice President, Panayotis Doumas travelled several times to Brussels to achieve the participation of the party in the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom (MENL). On 15 March 2018 the party announced its official membership in the Movement. On 1 May 2018, Failos Kranidiotis was an official speaker at the Feast of the Nations Event in Nice France organized by the MENL and hosted by the Front national and Marine Le Pen.[7]
Target for leftists and terrorists
In 2 March 2014, a gas canister attack took place in the office of Failos Kranidiotis. The attack, which occurred in the early hours, involved the detonation of a number of small bombs at the entrance of the building in Plaka, central Athens, causing considerable damage. No one was injured, although Kranidiotis was reportedly in his office at the time of the attack.[8] A new urban guerrilla group calling itself Revolutionary Anti-Fascist Action claimed responsibility for the attack. In a proclamation posted on the Zougla news website, the group said the gas canister attack was motivated by the fact that Kranidiotis was "a key link and main channel of communication between New Democracy and Golden Dawn," a neo-Nazi political party.[9]
In 7 March 2017, Failos Kranidiotis reported to police that he was the victim of an attack by an unknown assailant while sitting in his car in central Athens.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Ex-aide to former PM forms far-right party | Kathimerini". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ Smith, Helena (19 February 1999). "Athens in crisis over CIA links to Ocalan capture". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Greek education minister sued over genocide comment | Kathimerini". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Ιδρυτική Διακήρυξη | ΝΕΑ ΔΕΞΙΑ – ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟ ΚΟΜΜΑ". ΝΕΑ ΔΕΞΙΑ – ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟ ΚΟΜΜΑ (in Greek). Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ ΝΕΑ ΔΕΞΙΑ (16 May 2016), 16.05.2016: Ο ΦΑΗΛΟΣ ΚΡΑΝΙΔΙΩΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΝΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΝΕΑ ΔΕΞΙΑ, retrieved 7 June 2018
- ^ "ΝΕΑ ΔΕΞΙΑ – ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟ ΚΟΜΜΑ". ΝΕΑ ΔΕΞΙΑ – ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟ ΚΟΜΜΑ (in Greek). Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Fête des Nations du MENL le mardi 1er mai 2018 à l'Acropolis à Nice". Fête des Nations (in French). Archived from the original on 19 April 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Close aide to PM Samaras targeted in Athens bomb attack | Kathimerini". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "New group claims bomb attack on office of Greek PM's aide | Kathimerini". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ AMNA, SOURCE (6 March 2017). "New Right party leader Failos Kranidiotis reports attack by unknown assailant – ERT International". ERT International. Retrieved 7 June 2018.