ATHENS – New Hellenic Space Agency head Christodoulos Protopapas, named to the position when noted Greek-American scientist Stamatios Krimigis quit over political interference, has come under fire for social media posts in which he belittled Europeans while glorifying Greeks.

Media reports said that Protopapas had written on Facebook that, “Greece and Greekness (Romiosini) never die, you European bitches. When we were building temples and writing comedies and tragedies, you were living in the mud, eating raw meat and speaking, unwashed, with faltering howls.”

That was accompanied by a photo of him posing in front of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion south of Athens, a famed ancient site.

In his blog in December of 2013, he referred to a 20th century Greek Orthodox saint – Aghios (St.) Porphyrios the Kapsokalyvite – which he called the “Wise Saint of Technology”.

The new president of the Hellenic Space Organization (ELDO) wrote, among others, that “…when he (St. Porphyrios) was alive he could recognize and see, with his own eyes, the geological layers beneath the ground better than any seismic research; the galaxies and universe farther than the most advanced astronomical telescope and cells and disease viruses in greater detail than the best electronic microscope … St. Porphyrios achieved the miracle of contracting time for one hour, as a favor to 10 nuns”.

Saint Porphyrios, who died in 1991, was an Athonite hieromonk known for his gifts of spiritual discernment, a type of clairvoyance which he sometimes called “spiritual television.”

That has focused renewed attention on the agency and the ruling Radical Left SYRIZA as well as Telecommunications Minister Nikos Pappas and the General Secretary for Telecommunications, Vassilis Manglaras after Krimigis said they were only interested in using the agency for political purposes, suggesting it would be a patronage dumping ground, a common tactic in Greek governments to hire friends and relatives.

Krimigis, head emeritus of the Space Department Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, gave up his post after indicating he was fed up Pappas and Manglaras.
His departure has set off a tempest, with the major rival New Democracy calling on Pappas, a former State Minister who worked for Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in trying to control private TV station licenses, to quit. That was ignored.

Protopapas was formerly President of the Hellas Sat consortium set up to oversee building of a satellite and is an electrical engineer who was previously Chairman of the European Satellite Operators Association.

After Pappas and Manglaras tried to belittle Krimigis and say he wasn’t really that significant – although Pappas picked him – Protopas went after the renowed scientist as well after Krimigis said that, “Conditions are being created that undermine the three ‘As’,” Krimigis wrote, using the first letter of the Greek words for evaluation, meritocracy and excellence, which SYRIZA doesn’t recognize.

Protopapas said on SKAI TV that Krimigis work as a famed astrophysicist was not appropriate because space exploration was now the work of engineers such as him and that his predecessor was being unfairly boosted in media reports.

“Mr. Krimigis is not the only scientist who works abroad. There are other Greek scientists abroad. It is just you, the media, that promote him more than others,” he said.

Protopapas also accused Krimigis of acting superior and trying to impose English as the language of communication in the agency – the official language worldwide for air traffic.

Protopapas also said that, “Meritocracy is not something that can only pass through Mr Krimizis’ screening. We are also worthy as scientists.”