Athanasios "Thanos" Plevris (Greek: Αθανάσιος "Θάνος" Πλεύρης; born 21 May 1977) is a Greek politician and son of author Konstantinos Plevris who served as the Minister for Health under the cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis from 2021 to 2023.[1] Plevris is often described as a radical right and islamophobic voice in Greek politics.[2][3][4]
He is widely seen as a far-right figure in Greek politics and some of his opinions have been described as extreme and racist.[15][16] In the 1990s during his academic years he used to participate in nationalist protests and in at least one instance was caught on camera burning Turkish flags alongside supporters of the neo-nazi party Golden Dawn.[17] Plevris has also advocated the use of deadly force as a deterrent against illegal immigration.[18] He has also suggested that immigrants should be denied access to food, water and health care, in order to make their living conditions in Greece less attractive than those in their homelands.[19]
Antisemitism
While representing[20] his father in court in 2019, he argued that Konstantinos Plevris’s public desire to see the return of Nazis and the reopening of the Auschwitz concentration camps should not count as hate speech or incitement under Greek law.[21] After he was appointed as Minister for Health in 2021, some of this previous comments and statements resurfaced, resulting in a strong reaction by the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece.[1] They issued a statement expressing concern over the appointment of Thanos Plevris as minister of health in the cabinet reshuffle. Plevris later apologised and avowed his “absolute respect” for Holocaust victims and opposition to antisemitism.[22]
Vaccinations
In July 2021 he published an op-ed article expressing controversial opinions about mandatory vaccinations and asking “if a citizen does not want to be vaccinated, is it my responsibility to convince them or should they go and get vaccinated themselves?".[21][23] After his appointment in September 2021, some of his previous comments on scientific approaches and vaccination strategies resurfaced and were labelled as 'antivax'.[24][25]