Few things in life are certain: death, taxes and Greeks fighting each other. This trademark characteristic of the Greek mentality was on full display recently, with the schism that has occurred within the Pallaconian Brotherhood ‘Leonidas’.

Two separate groups are claiming leadership of the organisation, and there are currently two separate commitees of management, one under Kon Glekas and one under Panos Priftakis, accusing each other as ‘renegade’. Their public display of hostility has stirred a kind of civil war (mostly held in the field of Facebook) which has taken its toll on many aspects of the community activities.

Among the victims of this peculiar tug-of-war is the Pallaconian Youth Committee and the Pallaconian Dance Group. In a public statement titled ‘We need to be heard’, the members of the youth groups describe how they found themselves locked outside the building, which was guarded by security personnel, being thus prevented from weekly practice.

This is one fact that both sides agree upon; that the premises were locked and that dance classes did not take place, leading to the cancellation of two performances which the dance group was meant to attend.

The other fact that both sides agree upon is that on 9 October 2016, the annual general meeting took place, which elected a committee of supervision to oversee the forthcoming elections. From then on, it all depends on which side’s account one opts to believe.

The Pallaconian Youth Committee recognised what it states as “the newly-appointed legitimate Committee of Management, led by Mr Panos Priftakis (president) and Ms Mary Tsaganas (vice president)”.

In their statement, the Youth Committe and Pallaconian Dance Group claim to be “defending themselves” from the ‘Pallaconian Brotherhood’: “At the 9 October 2016 annual general meeting, where members of the youth were present, the members of the Brotherhood elected a committee of supervision to oversee the forthcoming elections. What happened at the close of the annual general meeting is for others to toil with.

“Following the nomination deadline, which was advertised by the committee of supervision as 30 October 2016, nominations were tallied and a newly appointed and legitimate committee was declared as per the constitution,” reads the statement, in which the youth accuse Mr Glekas and his followers (and also the outgoing president, Peter Adamis), of changing the locks to the building of the Brotherhood, as a form of intimidation.

They also accuse Mr Glekas of expelling various legitimate members, such as the former youth president of the Pallaconian Brotherhood, Mr Peter Thiveos, who tried to support the youth and dance group, and also, Mr Priftakis, after his nomination for the committee of management in October 2016.
On his part, Mr Adamis issued a statement in which he says: “The annual general meeting (AGM) on the 9 October 2016, a total of 107 members had entered the building. As the president of the Brotherhood I was of the opinion that it was an abysmal failure from where I was sitting. For reasons unknown to me at the time, the meeting had been carefully orchestrated to fail by a group of renegades whom have now surfaced as the engineers and drivers against progress, the constitution; and the resolutions by members as well as going against the majority show of hands to open the ballot on that day.”
In a post on the Brotherhood’s Facebook Page, he names “that charismatic Mr George Fountas, a past president of the Brotherhood and of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne Victoria”, as the leader of the ‘renegade’ group, joining forces with another past president, Mr Chris Paikopoulos, “who was well-versed in the constitution, passed resolutions and precedents set by himself at the 2010 and 2014 annual general meetings, failed miserably in following the guidelines and protocols.

“One could say without a shadow of doubt that Mr Chris Paikopoulos single- handedly brought the Lakonian Brotherhood to the brink of civil war and that the only reason his membership was not suspended was that no proof of wrong doing, other incompetence and self-importance could be found,” states Mr Adamis, recounting a “meeting of the Gerousia of elders”, in which “a solution was found using copies of the original nomination forms, identified and later certified as true and correct by one member of the committee of supervision.

“This member was courageous enough to conduct his own research and arrive after the truth, and coming to the conclusion that information was being withheld from him and others by George Fountas. As a result, the new committee of management under the leadership of Kon Glekas was formed”.
After that a war of words has escalated. Accounts of ballots being held outside the premises, nomination slips being torn, a dissonance on how many nominations existed, whether they were 14 or 16, make matters more confusing for anyone trying to make sense of it.

What is left is the sad conclusion of the Youth Committee statement: “We, the Youth and Cultural Committee and member of the Pallaconian Dance Group, have served the Brotherhood with respect, dignity and unity under all previous committees, including during Mr Adamis’ presidency. We love the club and have worked hard to represent the Brotherhood and its culture at numerous events over the last decade. (…). However, should the torment and bullying persist, the Youth Committee and Dance Group will regretfully be forced to leave our home, which we love and hold very close to our hearts.”