New Democracy parliamentarians who mocked George Papandreou about his use of the Greek language have drawn an angry response from the Greek Prime Minister.
The use of the phrase εξ απαλών ονύχων – which means soft finger nails – by the Greek PM during a parliamentary debate about who is responsible for the Greek economic crisis saw the Greek Parliament descend into an unruly rabble.
As Mr Papandreou responded to criticisms of his government’s handling of the current crisis by Mr Samaras, he was subjected to a stream of interjection by New Democracy parliamentarian, Mr Antonaras, for holding the former Karamanlis government responsible.
The Greek Prime Minister continued his address despite increasing interjections from the benches of New Democracy. When he inadvertently uttered the phrase εξ απαλών ονύχωνm, the comment” Do you know what that means?” was heard from the New Democracy benches.
“You don’t know Greek, you are a Greek from abroad,” the unknown speaker continued. The mocking interjection drew an indignant response from Mr Papandreou who made his position clear.
“Gentlemen if you want to judge my ability to speak Greek, do so, however you miss the point. I am a Greek of the Diaspora. Yes, I am. I am proud to be a Greek of the Diaspora. Yes, gentlemen. Finally, enough with that joke. Show some respect. I am not a Greek of the Diaspora by choice. My father went into exile twice. My grand father found himself in jail or exile six times.”