Victims of wildfire in Greece demand Prime Minister Mitsotakis' resignation
Victims of the wildfire that began in Varnavas near the Greek capital, Athens—described as the 'biggest disaster of the year'—have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was holding a meeting in the region.
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Mitsotakis conducted inspections in the region affected by the wildfire disaster.
A meeting was held in the region, chaired by Mitsotakis, with government officials and local administrators to discuss the effects of the fire. During this time, a group of people who were victims of the fire held a protest outside.
The wildfire victims demanded Mitsotakis' resignation, arguing that the government remained inadequate in its response to the fire. The crowd chanted slogans against Mitsotakis and the government.
RENT ASSISTANCE TO BE PROVIDED
In his speech at the meeting, Mitsotakis pointed out that forest fires were responded to at approximately 4 thousand different locations in Greece this year, and that the majority of these fires were in the Attica Region, which also includes Athens.
A situation assessment was conducted at the meeting, and the support to be provided to the victims was discussed.
According to the data announced after the meeting, 97 houses became unusable due to the fire. It was determined that 57 of these need to be demolished.
It was decided to provide rent assistance to the wildfire victims. The victims' debts to the public sector were also deferred.
Following the fire, Mitsotakis had said, "Fortunately, there are very few citizens affected," a statement that drew a major backlash from the opposition and wildfire victims.
Measurements made with the European Union's Copernicus satellite monitoring system indicated that 104 square kilometers of land burned in the fire, which started in Varnavas and spread to Vrilissia and Chalandri.