A legal development has emerged regarding an incident of tension between journalist Vasiliki Polyzou and Zoe Konstantopoulou that occurred yesterday afternoon, Tuesday 05/05 at the Athens Club, before the lunch hosted by the Greek Parliament in honour of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Journalist Vasiliki Polyzou filed a lawsuit today against the President of the Electoral Alliance for what the journalist claims was said against her during the incident.

According to what was disclosed by the journalist’s lawyer, Filos Kranidiotis, the lawsuit concerns the offences of public insult and slander, while reference is made to “gravely offensive characterizations” allegedly uttered by Zoe Konstantopoulou in front of attendees.

The statement from the lawyer of journalist Vasiliki Polyzou said:

“This morning, together with my client, the journalist Ms. Vasiliki Polyzou, we filed before the Athens Prosecutor’s Office the 4th in a row of her complaint against Ms. Zoe Konstantopoulou, Member of Parliament and President of the Eleftherias Platform, for the acts of public insult and slander committed against my client, yesterday 5/5/2026 at the Athenian Club, where a meal organised by the Greek Parliament in honour of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was taking place, where the accused, in front of many persons, made highly offensive remarks against my client.

Philos M. Kranidiotis
Lawyer”

The incident

According to reports, Zoe Konstantopoulou reacted as soon as she saw the journalist at the venue of the event, asking the Speaker of the Parliament and the Director of International and Public Relations of the Parliament to proceed with her arrest. “She is a criminal element. I have moved against her for criminal organisation,” he said of the accredited parliamentary editor.

For his part, the Speaker of Parliament reportedly replied, “But she’s a journalist,” but the Leader of the Freedom Party continued to insist that she should be arrested. At the same time, she claimed that the event was closed, and expressed the view that the presence of Vasiliki Polyzou in the venue could not be justified in her capacity as a parliamentary editor, as, she said, there were no other journalists of parliamentary reporting there.

Overall, no arrest was made and the incident ended after the journalist left the Athenian Club.