Stefanos Poulimenos΄ statement regarding this year΄s Corfu Easter
Stefanos Poulimenos
19 Apr 2023
/ 23:34
Positive and negative findings – Measures need to be taken.
There are already many discussions regarding this year's Easter ceremonies and events in Corfu with many problems being highlighted, opinions being expressed for their management, suggestions for better results, as well as some positive statements.
For the public interest - the interest of the island - we would also like to add the following in this public discussion:
1. Easter events generally went well. The number of visitors on the island was high and the impressive images travelled again everywhere through the media.
2. Fortunately, despite the cancellation of any preventive measures, no serious incident was recorded, which could endanger human lives and harm the image of the island.
3. However, many organisational weaknesses, lack of coordination and lack of planning and control of the situation were observed, despite the best efforts of the Police.
4. The absence of a municipal control mechanism (municipal police and other control bodies) was evident everywhere, which requires this issue to be dealt with quickly and decisively.
5. Many negative comments were recorded - and for good reason - for the uncontrolled and illegal expansion of chairs and tables, not only at the expense of the public space, but also in a way that indicates audacity and disrespect for the religious ceremonies of the area (processions, epitaphios, etc.). That is, ceremonies that unite our fellow citizens and attract visitors that boost the local economy. It is therefore a self-destructive behaviour for the temporary profit, which must be answered.
6. Similar and even more provocative to the island and the local community is the behaviour of very few, fortunately, entertainment professionals. With their noisy businesses, they acted contemptuously during the Easter period as well, not only for the town and the laws but also the events that make Corfu a top Easter destination. The response to this phenomenon can only be decisive. No one can operate by harming the identity of the place they are at, invalidating the limits set by the permit granted to them and torturing the permanent residents who live next to them.
7. The ban on the use of firecrackers and flares on Easter Saturday in the town and the countryside had a positive result. This is thanks to the police and the businesses that have avoided the dangerous explosives this year - explosives that have many victims every year, as they also had in Corfu in the past.
8. Credit should also be given to the Police Department, the Traffic Police and the Port Authority, as well as to those who contributed to the operation of the parking areas on the outskirts of the town and the measures to restrict and prohibit entry into the town and facilitate traffic on the main roads as much as possible, at a point where the limits of the existing network were exhausted.
9. Finally, I believe that care must be taken to exclude the phenomena of unrestrained commercialisation that invade our tradition and alter its character. The need for moderation and common sense to prevail is necessary, primarily for the unique Corfu Easter.
Stefanos Poulimenos, mayoral candidate
Corfu, 19/04/2023
For the public interest - the interest of the island - we would also like to add the following in this public discussion:
1. Easter events generally went well. The number of visitors on the island was high and the impressive images travelled again everywhere through the media.
2. Fortunately, despite the cancellation of any preventive measures, no serious incident was recorded, which could endanger human lives and harm the image of the island.
3. However, many organisational weaknesses, lack of coordination and lack of planning and control of the situation were observed, despite the best efforts of the Police.
4. The absence of a municipal control mechanism (municipal police and other control bodies) was evident everywhere, which requires this issue to be dealt with quickly and decisively.
5. Many negative comments were recorded - and for good reason - for the uncontrolled and illegal expansion of chairs and tables, not only at the expense of the public space, but also in a way that indicates audacity and disrespect for the religious ceremonies of the area (processions, epitaphios, etc.). That is, ceremonies that unite our fellow citizens and attract visitors that boost the local economy. It is therefore a self-destructive behaviour for the temporary profit, which must be answered.
6. Similar and even more provocative to the island and the local community is the behaviour of very few, fortunately, entertainment professionals. With their noisy businesses, they acted contemptuously during the Easter period as well, not only for the town and the laws but also the events that make Corfu a top Easter destination. The response to this phenomenon can only be decisive. No one can operate by harming the identity of the place they are at, invalidating the limits set by the permit granted to them and torturing the permanent residents who live next to them.
7. The ban on the use of firecrackers and flares on Easter Saturday in the town and the countryside had a positive result. This is thanks to the police and the businesses that have avoided the dangerous explosives this year - explosives that have many victims every year, as they also had in Corfu in the past.
8. Credit should also be given to the Police Department, the Traffic Police and the Port Authority, as well as to those who contributed to the operation of the parking areas on the outskirts of the town and the measures to restrict and prohibit entry into the town and facilitate traffic on the main roads as much as possible, at a point where the limits of the existing network were exhausted.
9. Finally, I believe that care must be taken to exclude the phenomena of unrestrained commercialisation that invade our tradition and alter its character. The need for moderation and common sense to prevail is necessary, primarily for the unique Corfu Easter.
Stefanos Poulimenos, mayoral candidate
Corfu, 19/04/2023
