Greek civil servant faces possible dismissal after a series of offensive tweets

Gazzetta team 2 Οκτωβρίου 2015 - 19:50

A mid-level civil servant in Greece’s General Secretary of Information and Communication is facing a possible dismissal, after the backlash cause in social media on Friday from a series of tweets deemed offensive.

Petros Kormikiaris, who is deputy manager in the department technical support, provoked reactions in media after ridiculing the mother of murdered musician Pavlos Fyssas, who was killed by a member of extreme-right Golden Dawn. “A new tearful melodrama from the mother of Pavlos Fyssas. It didn’t concern her, as a mother, that her son was provoking with his songs. Buzz off,” his tweet said. Twitter users and journalists soon saw more tweets with similar offensive and extreme style and content, including one where Kormikiaris was openly supporting Golden dawn before the last elections.

His boss, the General Secretary of Information and Communications, Eleftherios Kretsos, recommended that Kormikiaris be sent before the disciplinary council under articles 107 and 123 of the civil servants’ code of conduct. The recommendation was approved by State Minister Nikos Pappas.

The General Secretariat denied in a press statement that Kormikiaris works as a journalist and noted that it condemns the opinions expressed in his tweets.