Tsipras at Evia fires calls for rapid legislative measures against arsonists
Greece is experiencing a massive catastrophe with the fires, which is also an environmental disaster, said SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras in his visit to Evia island where fires burn for a third consecutive day on Thursday.
This situation is also dramatic for the thousands of people whose property is threatened, he added, and "we must stand by them."
In his statement after visiting the evacuated coastal town of Rovies, the main opposition party leader called for the strengthening of airborne assistance, and for the immediate compensation of people who lost their homes in the fires. He noted that burnt forest regions should be reforested by state decision, so that "we do not see real estate investments sprout where once were forests."
"The only way to curb the appetite of some individuals who make devious plans for our forests is for the state to be absolute and clear in terms of its rapid legislative intervention," stressed Tsipras.