The former artistic director of the National Theatre, Dimitris Lignadis, was arrested in Greece over the weekend. At the beginning of the month, he resigned from his post. The reason was, among other things, allegations of sexual harassment and violence against minors. The government is accused of turning a blind eye to the accusations against Lignadis, as he is on friendly terms with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The government was held, hostage
In August 2019, the actor and director Lignadis was appointed to the post without going through a competitive procedure-just a few weeks after Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Culture Minister Lina Mendoni took office. TVXS considers the silence of the authorities a scandal, and egregious:
“The government remains silent about how and why Mitsotakis put Lignadis in charge of the National Theater, and why Mendoni was not removed from the leadership of the Ministry of Culture. … If the Prime Minister had found the courage to sincerely admit his mistakes and tried to express his remorse, then the clouds would not have gathered on the horizon. However, the opposite happened. Thus, Mitsotakis was held hostage not only by Mendoni but also by Lignadis, who, nevertheless, sooner or later will have to speak.»
The monster is not defeated yet
News247 also makes no secret of its criticism of government members:
“If they did not know Lignadis personally, how did they appoint him by direct decree? … Why didn’t Mendon resign — and admit that she had violated her obligations by cheating in collusion with Lignadis? However, her resignation would not solve all the problems. Our society needs a deep and universal catharsis-from the community of artists and artists-to politics and the working environment. If there is any progress now, it is that really big names have begun to emerge. … However, this is only the beginning. We still have a very long way to go until we can identify all the tentacles of this monster.»
