Remember Geadis Geadi? The ELAM MEP who proudly took selfies outside the White House during Donald Trump’s inauguration, claiming to be the sole representative of Cyprus at the ceremony?
In reality, Geadis was in the American capital that day as part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) delegation – the conservative group with which the American President maintains excellent relations, primarily due to Meloni.
This was how the invitation to the inauguration came about, and Geadis seized the opportunity to join the mission and make his presence known.
He posted a photo of himself in front of the building that houses the American President, writing about the “great honour” of being Cyprus’s only representative at the ceremony and boasting that this was his response to those who thought ELAM would be marginalised.
This certainly warrants further discussion. We live in an era where the dividing line between the fringe and normality has become so thin that it’s often indiscernible.
In some cases, fringe elements become the establishment, legitimised by the very system they opposed – with society’s votes, no less. In the age where politics seems to have ended and social media mobs reign supreme, even the violation of common sense is considered a revolutionary act.
Geadis’s post and all its associated implications were brought back to mind when the American President recently praised Tayyip Erdoğan in front of the Israeli President.
“He’s a very strong, smart man. I have a very good relationship with Erdoğan. I love him. He loves me too. And the press gets very angry when I say I love Erdoğan. We’ve done many things together and never had problems. And as you’ll remember, we got the preacher back from Turkey. It was a huge deal. I told Prime Minister Netanyahu this. Turkey and its leaders, I said, won’t be a problem. Look, Erdoğan is a strong and smart man.”
These words and many more were spoken by Donald Trump about his friend, the Turkish President. But ELAM, who claim to see everything, hear everything, and fight everything as modern-day national heroes, saw nothing, heard nothing, and had nothing to say.
Neither Christos Christou, nor Sotiris Ioannou, nor Marios Pelekanos had anything to tell us. Not even the talkative Geadis Geadi, who frequently boasts about his interventions and amendments he submits to the European Parliament against Turkey.
The politician who had the “great honour”, as he wrote, of being the only Cypriot at the new American President’s inauguration ceremony.
Their friend Trump said even more to his “effendi” Erdoğan and, according to reports in Greek media, he claimed – in a tone suggesting he found it amusing – that Turkey has now de facto taken “control” of Syria.
“I told him (Erdoğan): ‘Congratulations, you’ve achieved something no one has managed to do in 2,000 years. You’ve taken control of Syria’,” he stated.
These statements should help some people understand that the sensitivity and patriotism of certain self-proclaimed anti-establishment and genuine patriots is limited to catchy slogans, depending on what suits their convenience and agenda.
Moreover, as citizens, we should look beyond the blinkers of anger and political desperation and finally realise where we’re heading.
The way Trump’s second term is unfolding is nightmarish.
The global economy is being fundamentally shaken by the tariffs he’s imposing, and this might only be the beginning.
“Make America Great Again” is not just a simple slogan. The entire scenario is reminiscent of other dark periods in history that ended in bloodshed for humanity.
In America, it’s Trump; in Russia, Putin; in the EU, the far-right – all elements of the same equation. And somewhere in this picture fits our own story of Geadis at the White House…
