Giannis Boutaris

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Giannis Boutaris (2005)

Giannis Boutaris ( Greek Γιάννης Μπουτάρης , born June 13, 1942 in Thessaloniki ) is a Greek politician and was mayor of Thessaloniki from 2011 to 2019.

Giannis Boutaris grew up as the son of Stelios Boutaris, who ran the family wine company Boutari , and then studied chemistry at the University of Thessaloniki . After working as a businessman and winemaker, he handed over his winery to his children in 2002 and has been involved in politics on a voluntary basis ever since. He is a founding member of the Initiative for Thessaloniki and the small Drasi party . In November 2010 he won the mayoral elections in the second ballot with 50.2%, supported by PASOK , the largest opposition party at the time , of which he is not a member. He took up his post in January 2011.

As the mayor of Thessaloniki, Boutaris made an effort to highlight the city's multicultural past. Boutaris expressed the intention to erect an Islamic mosque and a memorial in honor of the Jews of Thessaloniki and the Young Turks , also to create an attraction for tourists from Israel and Turkey .

He repeatedly angered conservatives and right-wing extremists with statements on the name dispute with Macedonia , on Greek-Turkish relations and on the Holocaust against the Jews of Thessaloniki.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel reported in February 2012 of great successes in the restructuring of local government and described him as "the most extraordinary politician in Greece".

In an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Boutaris was presented as an (ex) alcoholic and critic of the Orthodox Church who has significant problems reforming the corrupt structures and the patronage economy in the city administration of Thessaloniki.

On May 19, 2018, Boutaris was attacked and injured by right-wing extremists at a public rally.

Web links

Commons : Yannis Boutaris  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

documentary

Dimitris Athiridis: One Step Ahead - Ten Weeks with Yannis Boutaris. (Original title: Ένα βήμα μπροστά. Ena vima brosta. ), Documentary film. 125 min.

Individual evidence

  1. George Gilson: Local elections '10: Vintage Boutaris for Thessaloniki ( Memento of the original from November 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Athens News . September 13, 2010  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.athensnews.gr
  2. Pasok candidates win mayoral races in Athens, Thessaloniki ( Memento of the original from November 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Athens News . November 14, 2010  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.athensnews.gr
  3. The best- known example is Boutaris' speech on the National Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 18, 2018
  4. Julia Amalia Heyer: Greece: The winemaker, the garbage and the city . In: Der Spiegel . No. 7, February 13, 2012
  5. ^ Christiane Schlötzer: The last hope of a city . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , February 2, 2013, p. 10.
  6. Spiegel online from May 20, 2018: "Right-wing extremists attack the mayor of Thessaloniki" [1] , see also The Journal of May 20, 2018 (English) " Greek mayor (75) kicked and punched by 'far-right thugs' at WWI event. "