Thessaloniki bids farewell to taboo-breaking ex-mayor

THESSALONIKI

Thessaloniki has bid farewell to its taboo-breaking and visionary former mayor Yiannis Boutaris, renowned for his affection towards Türkiye.

Thessaloniki, which was once under Ottoman rule, holds a special significance for the Turkish people, as the city is the birthplace of modern Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The house where Atatürk was born has been transformed into a museum, annually attracting hundreds of thousands of Turkish visitors.

Boutaris passed away over the weekend at the age of 82. In accordance with his will, a civil ceremony was held in his honor.

The funeral was attended by numerous political figures, including Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Boutaris had expressed during his visit to the Turkish Aegean province of İzmir in December 2015, that he considered the Turks as brothers and the Europeans as mere partners.

"You may argue with a brother, but you will always reconcile. If you quarrel with a partner, reconciliation is impossible. Thessaloniki and İzmir are brothers.”

Boutaris had fondly described İzmir as a place where he felt at home. "Mustafa Kemal Atatürk may be Turkish, but he is also a Thessalonian. Let us not forget that Thessaloniki carries a rich tradition of Turkish heritage," he had stated.

Boutaris, who sported an earring and numerous tattoos, long argued that Thessaloniki should capitalize on its forgotten centuries-old heritage as a Turkish and Jewish metropolis. Thessaloniki was home to around 50,000 Jews before the Holocaust. Elected in 2010 and 2014, Boutaris campaigned to bring tens of thousands of Turkish and Jewish tourists to the city's historic landmarks.