Tempi:What Karystianou claims in her legal notice against Plakias brothers after division over the concert

Maria Karystianou, president of the Tempi Victims Association, accuses Nikos Plakias, father of the twin girls who died in the Tempi accident, of trying to undermine the association’s efforts to “expand its action against oblivion and cover-up” with the planned concert at Kallimarmaro Stadium

Maria Karystianou, president of the Tempi Victims Association, accuses Nikos Plakias, father of the twin girls who died in the Tempi accident, of trying to undermine the association’s efforts to “expand its action against oblivion and cover-up” with the planned concert at Kallimarmaro Stadium.

In the legal notice she sent to him and his brother Dimitris, who also lost his daughter, she escalates the dispute between the victims’ families over the ticket fee for the concert scheduled for October 11 at Kallimarmaro. Karystianou essentially asks Mr. Nikos Plakias to remove his public posts regarding the issue. She also argues that his statements and those of his “alleged lawyer” reveal that, intentionally or not, he could become a “Trojan horse” of the “deep system” they are fighting against. “For this reason, I no longer permit you to mention my name or the Association of which I am the president, and you are not even members.”

“I do not question Mrs. Karystianou’s honesty,” says Nikos Plakias to protothema.gr, adding, “But let her name the members. Eighteen families came forward with their names and stated they are opposed. I am defending the memory of the victims, the memory of my children. Let there be a concert, but there should be no fee. No one can speak on behalf of everyone.”

Nikos Plakias, who lost two of his three children—his twin daughters—along with his niece that night, speaks calmly on the phone. He asks the person he is speaking with about her children and offers her blessings, as he will never get to see his daughters Thomais and Chrysa, or his niece Anastasia. “We could have become in-laws,” he says, indicating that he thinks often of the things he and his children never got to experience together.

“We have trials ahead of us, and a struggle; better to break eggs now rather than later,” says Mr. Plakias. “Anyone can do what they want, but they cannot invoke the names of our children. Let the concert take place, let us all go, let us be strong and united, but there can be no fee. If at some point I face expenses beyond my means, I will ask for help myself to defend the memory of my children and ensure responsibility is assigned where it belongs. I am not afraid, and no one can accuse me or label me,” he says, visibly emotional.

Maria Karystianou’s legal notice

According to reports, in her legal notice, Mrs. Karystianou notes, among other things: “I am not certain that you understand the stakes of the fight that has been waged since the crime occurred, between darkness and truth, between Justice and the most perverse criminal practices that human nature has produced, between the nobility of emotions and moral degradation. It is true that the fight was started by a few, but this does not negate the fact that those supporting it are growing in numbers, as it promotes the values and demands of all Hellenism. This is why it is certain that it will succeed, despite the fact that some, in their panic, use every kind of improper means to hinder it.”

She continues with indirect accusations against the Plakias brothers, who are experiencing the same pain as she is: “Of course, understanding the above requires intellectual cultivation, character nobility, and above all a deep belief in the power of truth, the necessity of justice, and the value of humanity, so obviously we could not have a common path, even in this field.”

In her legal notice, the president of the Tempi Victims Association says that despite her clear differences with the Plakias brothers, they could at some point align on the minimum of their demands—just punishment for the guilty. “Unfortunately, the fact that your erratic statements are exclusively used by those trying to cover up the crime shows I made a mistake. Whether because you do not want to or cannot understand the consequences of your actions, it is certain that you constantly provide a platform for those who seek to dismantle the truth and continue doing so, hiding behind your words.”

In another part of the legal notice, the brothers are accused of lacking self-control, with the notice stating: “Your recent statements make it impossible to tolerate further that your malevolent intent or that of your privileged interlocutors is working against the justice we are fighting for,” adding, “Perhaps in your conscience, appropriating money meant for sacred purposes is understandable and practically acceptable, but not in ours, so we forbid you from associating any of our choices with your thoughts, as in the realm of values, our paths will always, as facts show, diverge.”

At another point in the legal notice, Mrs. Karystianou accuses the Plakias brothers of being mobilized to tarnish the association’s efforts to expand its action against oblivion and cover-up, through the concert. She justifies the ticket price, stating, “Our goal is also that, through the ticket fee, every citizen who participates can contribute to the realization of the association’s constitutionally declared goals. Thus, we all become one, and one for the good of all, but you have proven that these are far from your understanding. Therefore, you should consult others to have them explain these concepts to you.”

Mr. Nikos Plakias limited himself to publicly sharing the receipt of the legal notice, “thanking” Mrs. Karystianou, writing, “Thank you. The ‘Mother of Tempi’ has sent a legal notice to the family that lost three children. I am ashamed. How will you face Sophia and Martha in court? How will you look at them?”

Other victim families’ opposition

The opposition of the victims’ families to the concert with a ticket at Kallimarmaro was not only expressed by Mr. Nikos Plakias but also by other relatives. A notable stance was expressed yesterday by Vassilis Vlachos’s father, who, speaking to Mega, drew a “red line” against charging money in his child’s name. “If they had informed us, we would have found a solution for the expenses,” he said, adding, “As a family, we have drawn a big red line: no money should be requested in my child’s name. Anyone claiming to represent all the families, implying they represent us all, has exhausted our patience. Whoever acts on their own, thinking their initiatives are for the good of the cause, may do so freely, but with a clear explanation that they represent only themselves.”