The Deputy Minister of Education Giorgos Stylios exchanged harsh words with the Communist Party MP Liana Kanelli in Parliament during a discussion on undernourished children. Mrs. Kanelli challenged the efforts of the Ministry of Education in relation to providing meals to undernourished school children, likening the Deputy Minister to Marie Antoinette.

Mr. Stylios responded to the accusation and argued that “Mrs. Kanelli wants to turn me into Kasidiaris, but I will not become Kasidiaris! You need a Kasidiaris Mrs. Kanelli!”. Mrs. Kanelli had been assaulted by the detained neo-Nazi party MP live on television in 2012.

Following the exchange of words, Mrs. Kanelli informed the President of Parliament Evangelos Meimarakis who apologized to the MP and her party for the Deputy Minister’s unacceptable behavior.

The Deputy Minister later attempted to make amends and spoke of “verbal exaggerations” caused by “heat of the moment”. The Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has requested that the New Democracy MP resigns from his post. In response to Mr. Samaras’ call for a resignation, Mrs. Kanelli told journalists that the government “thankfully did the obvious this time“.

SYRIZA scrutinized the Deputy Minister’s words, noting that aside from being hugely obscene, they were an insult to democracy as a it is unacceptable for a government officer to invoke Golden Dawn’s violence. The main opposition party argued that no apologize can suffice.