A journalist of the news site News 24/7, Nikos Giannopoulos, reports that he was subjected to an unprecedented attack by MEP Nikos Pappas, while he was on a journalistic mission in Strasbourg.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred in a bar in Strasbourg, where the journalists of the delegation had gone, on the evening of Tuesday 16/12 at approximately 23:30 local time.
In the same bar, the MEP was present with his associates, and the incident followed, which the journalist characterizes as a “shocking beating”.
Famellos expels Nikos Pappas from SYRIZA
In the wake of the shocking complaint, the president of SYRIZA-PS, Sokratis Famellos, removed Nikos Pappas from the SYRIZA-PS European parliamentary group due to his unacceptable behavior.
At the same time, he is immediately requesting from the ethics committee his expulsion from SYRIZA-PS.
Regarding his decision, Sokratis Famellos has already informed the head of the European parliamentary group, MEP Kostas Arvanitis.
What Nikos Giannopoulos reports
As the journalist reports, he began to leave together with a female colleague to head to the hotel where they were staying.
The MEP, as he passed next to him, tripped the journalist without anything having preceded it.
Nikos Giannopoulos, taken aback, asked him for an explanation, telling him “do not touch me again”.
Subsequently, the MEP told N. Giannopoulos to “go outside and settle it”.
The journalist continued to leave the bar and as soon as he reached the door connecting the bar with a food service establishment, he felt two strong punches to the head from behind, resulting in him falling in the corridor between the two establishments.
Nikos Giannopoulos, despite the shock and the pain, because let us not forget that we are talking about a blow from a former athlete of height 1.97, addressed him shouting “what are you doing there? you are an active MEP”.
“How could I not hit you the way you are”
“How could I not hit you the way you are?” is reported to have been the response of the MEP.
Nikos Giannopoulos returned to the bar injured to inform the other colleagues of the journalistic delegation that he was attacked by MEP Nikos Pappas, as emphasized by the report of the outlet where he works.
Subsequently, everyone went outside the bar, the victim, journalists and N. Pappas with his associates.
Nikos Pappas made derogatory comments against the victim, with the journalist moving away with a colleague and returning to his hotel.
After midnight, Nikos Giannopoulos received continuous calls on his mobile phone from the phone of MEP Nikos Pappas, as well as two messages on WhatsApp, to which he never replied.
Today 17 December, Nikos Giannopoulos filed a lawsuit with the Alsace Police Administration, based in Strasbourg, and described the incident in detail to the police officer who took his statement.
The MEP is accused of exercising violence by a representative in an institutional role while in a calm mental state.
Nikos Pappas is now being sought under the flagrante delicto procedure, which is not covered by immunity.
The matter is now in the hands of justice, but also of the parties in Greece, which at some point should begin to more carefully control whom they send to the European Parliament.
Nikos Pappas: “I had a wrong reaction, I was provoked” he claims after the journalist’s lawsuit for beating
“Some have rushed to condemn me before even learning my version and the real facts,” stressed MEP Nikos Pappas on his part, following the lawsuit by journalist Nikos Giannopoulos for beating, a case that led to his removal from the SYRIZA European parliamentary group.
Nikos Pappas says that he had a wrong reaction, however he claims that he was provoked by the journalist.
“The rest will be submitted to the authorities when necessary, as there were eyewitnesses and earwitnesses,” the MEP states among other things in his post.
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