Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras fired back at the government during the debate in Parliament before the vote on the legislation on marriage for same-sex couples.
Samaras made it clear in Parliament that he did not wish to argue with anyone, however, he stressed that at this stage the government felt unthreatened by the opposition. “This is not good and does not mean that it is always right.”
Referring to the bill, he said it opens a backdoor to the abolition of maternity, to polygamy and the introduction of the terms “parent 1” and “parent 2” in public documents.
He also stressed that it was not about the right of adults but also about the right of children to have a mother and a father. “We cannot play with the souls of children,” he said.
After the end of his speech, Samaras exited the room and noted that what he said “are only my views and nothing else.” At the same time, according to protothema.gr’s information, the government staff responded “no comment” on the former prime minister’s speech.
Samaras stressed that marriage for same-sex couples is not a right. He said: “Marriage of same-sex couples is not compulsory. If a country wants to do it, it will; if it doesn’t, it won’t. So it starts from a lie. The rights of same-sex couples are fully guaranteed by the civil partnership agreement. Marriage offers the right to have children.”
Points from Antonis Samaras’ speech:
Before a debate of conscience, I address everyone regardless of party affiliation
I do not wish to disagree with anyone: The government does not feel threatened by the opposition. It’s not good and it’s not always right.
The other day it signed a friendship pact with Turkey. Erdogan threatened to throw us to the sea and now he’s issuing a NOTAM. Is that a friendship pact?
The government should be careful, overconfidence can lead to mistakes.
Our party shouldn’t have brought it to a vote. Obviously I will vote against it.
Same-sex marriage is not a human right. Same-sex marriage is not compulsory. If a country wants to do it, if it wants to do it, it can do it; if it wants to do it, it can’t. So it starts with a lie.
The rights of same-sex couples are fully guaranteed by the civil partnership agreement. Marriage offers the right to the right to adopt children. We are not only talking about the right of two adults, but the right of minors to both parents.
There are cases where children do not have one of the two parents.
In these cases they are taken away by fate, not by the State.
When the state gives children to the custody of two mothers or fathers, it permanently deprives them of the right to a mother and father by violating the right of children.
For children already living in an environment of same-sex couples: This can be covered by a simple legal act, or by an addition to the cohabitation agreement i.e. the existing legal framework.
Recently the Minister responded and said that the change to the pact would solve the problem of children but would maintain the different treatment of minors.
We are abolishing the nuclear family.
Mother and father are two distinct emotional models. No one can replace them. The Constitution says so.
How is it possible that the concept of marriage is not linked to motherhood either.
It does indeed concern very few but it also affects everyone’s life.
There will be wider implications. It is certain.
They will demand that the title of father and mother be removed from public documents. It happened in France, they took legal action and it has now been abolished.
Let us bear in mind what is being passed.
They will ask for a new kind of family to be taught in schools, something more neutral.
Today with our vote we will have equated disparate things, same-sex cohabitation with marriage.
Maybe the bill will provide that parent 1 and parent 2 will not come in. But it doesn’t prevent it, we’re opening a back door.
The bill prohibits surrogacy here but allows it abroad, which is also claimed by the LGBT community.
It is currently allowed for health reasons. We are turning motherhood into a profession and a trade.
I’ve talked about what WILL happen… Listen to what has already happened.
On 14/12, a draft regulation was voted by the European Parliament, which includes a total overhaul of family law.
In Greece was completely silenced.
Removing in every reference to father and mother and replace it to parent 1 and parent 2. Greece will be forced to recognize the relationship of a child with a bi-sexual parent, with multiple parents, etc.
What the preface to the report says? It is important to allow non-traditional parental formations even for more than two parents.
Especially for countries that have already equated same-sex cohabitation with marriage.
Let’s go to our political party now: Some of our MPs have abstained. Is Parent 1 and Parent 2 in our caucus? And what will we do when the final report of this rule comes before the Council.
I’ve heard it said that same-sex marriage is a caucus commitment. We have received no commitment, no objection to accepting rights, we have done a lot for LGBTQ people. In no society can someone’s “desires” become a “right”.
We did not accept fostering with the Civil Partnership Agreement then, under Syriza and now we accept adoption.
It is an initiative that we have no obligation to vote with the excuse that we belong to the EPP.
What Harris Georgiades said, to reject the excesses of the woke culture that denies the two gender. “If the center-right does not wake up from its slumber, then difficult days are coming for democracy”.
During the debate, any opposing view was met with disparaging dismissiveness with labels such as sexism, homophobic ranting etc. The KKE, what is it? Far-right? Is Archbishop of Albania Anastasios homophobic?
The Greek Orthodox Church is not clericalists. You don’t believe, you don’t believe, I do. You have no right to be insulting.
Everyone can speak his mind except the Church that kept Hellenism standing?
What Apostolos Doxiadis said, that instead of the discussion being global it is being done under the pressure of a powerful lobby.
One of the most important modern Greek philosophers, Stelios Ramphos.
Children do not need caregivers, one cannot become a doctor because one loves the patient. Ramphos is extreme and homophobic too?
Not all homosexuals always agree with LGBTQ people. Christos Samardanis said years ago. No one can be proud of anything they do in bed. I don’t feel proud that I’m gay, and you shouldn’t feel proud that you’re straight. You should feel proud of being a good father, of being honest.
We can’t experiment with the lives of young children. This bill makes it easier for things to happen that the majority of society does not support.
We’re driving people to utter cynicism, turning them against us. Gentlemen of the government, this is not how you turn to the center, it is not the center’s mission to overthrow the family, it is not the center that will abolish the mother, it is not modernization to have drag queens reading fairy tales to little children.
All this has nothing to do with our party and our ideas.
We must not lose society for the benefit of the extreme. I just wanted you to think about these things, your vote touches the soul, the conscience and the anxieties of the entire Greek people.
I will not vote for the bill.
I am extreme too, who sent Golden Dawn to justice and they all went to jail? When some people took five years to find a courtroom for their trial?
In the party’s “tutorials” that were held it was said that we should vote because we belong to the West.
I fought to stay in the West and paid the price, and I say we should not confuse the West with its pathologies.
In some countries, the woke culture prevails. Are you sure?
I haven’t seen the same tutorials on Demographics.
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