Faelos Kranidiotis - TROLL OF THE MONTH

The Troll of the Month is an incident we choose every month to expose racist and anti-religious haters and to show positive outcomes in the fight against intolerance in Europe.

Screenshot from Le Parisien

Faelos Kranidiotis, lawyer, columnist, and chairperson of the political party New Right (Nea Dexia) published an opinion piece on newsbreak.gr containing Islamophobic stereotypes and conspiracy narratives.

Using the ‘us vs them’ framing, putting the values of ancient Greece, Rome and Christianity vs “illegal immigration and Islamisation” and militaristic language, such as, “hybrid war against Greece, Europe, the West”, the columnist slandered migrants and Muslims suggesting that they are both a threat and a cause of decay in Greek society.

Kranidiotis used a rhetorical strategy to gain consensus: “if you love this country, you agree with me,” excluding the possibility of loving Greece and at the same time being in favour of guaranteeing rights to undocumented migrants and Muslim residents. Furthermore, in his attack on Turkey’s policies, the politicians claimed that the ultimate goal of migration is to turn non-Muslim countries into Muslim countries. This is a false statement which aims to fuel fear and hatred against Muslim migrants.

The authoritative position of Kranidiotis – his power as a columnist in newsbreak.gr and as a chairperson of the New Right party – makes this opinion piece very concerning. His words exert a certain degree of influence on readers and society as a whole. By publishing this piece, newsbreak.gr is legitimising and normalising vile Islamophobia and anti-migrant sentiments.