Video still of Yannis Varoufakis, at that time a Marxist economics professor, shows him "giving the finger" during a lecture in Zagreb in 2013, as he was speaking about Germany's role in the Eurozone.
For latest update on this fracas, see here. "Greek Finance Minister TAKEN IN by German satire" ... as were millions of Whites who also want Greece to stick it to Germany. The finger video is NOT fake, but Varoufakis is.
The current Greek ruling party is carrying on business by pointing the finger everywhere but at itself for it's various problems and errors of judgement. Now comes Den Stinkefinger debacle!
During a speech in Zagreb, Croatia in 2013, the now (but not then) Greek Finance Minister said that Greece should have defaulted back in 2010, and thereby "stick the finger to Germany and say, You can now solve this problem by yourself." As he said this, he stretched out his arm toward the camera and raised his middle finger. Watch the clip
The bigger problem for Varoufakis is that he immediately claimed that the film has been faked. “This is a fake video,” he said on a German talk show hosted by Gunther Jauch. Allessandro Del Prete , the cameraman for the 2013 speech, vehemently denied on Sunday night via Twitter that the video was fake. He said he had cut only six minutes off the 57-minute presentation and uploaded it on Youtube. “Absolutely not fake,” he twittered in German (Absolut nicht gefälscht).
Varoufakis went on to say that he had “never in his life” made that gesture , and never would. That's why he knows the video is faked. Del Prete defends the authenticity of his video with: "Look at the lips, he says what we hear, and the middle finger is visible. No fake ..."
What do the video experts say?
There is no evidence of tampering. As long as no other video of the show appears, which is different from the version now known, there is initially no evidence that the images were manipulated.
What does Varoufakis say?
On Monday he released this: "The video was faked without a doubt," he told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "It is a deplorable attempt to torpedo a TV show in which I have tried to offer the German public a hand of friendship." He complained further that the television production company of Jauch sabotaged his performance: "It is inconceivable that they (the editor) did not know that the video was faked."
Elsewhere he said:
"The material is of the conference, very well. But the finger has been purely mounted. I tell them this without a doubt. Take it for what it is. It did not exist."
"This has been mounted. I've never done anything like this. I am ashamed that one trusts something like this, such a video. I'm sure you did not know. But this is faked. "
And what do Jauch's editors say?
"His accusations that we sabotage, we reject," said Simone Bartsch, the spokeswoman for the Jauch-production company. "With our current knowledge, we see no signs of tampering or forgery in the video." On Monday afternoon, the production company sent out a press release in which it calls the film clip, after examimation by several experts, authentic. A spokesman for the State responsible for NDR Talk Show had previously said. "There is currently no evidence that the video is fake."
Who would you believe in a spat between Germans and Greeks? Well, I haven't heard the Prime Minister Tsipris coming to the support of his Finance Minister.
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Occupation
Markus
So Germany occupied Greece for 2 years or so to save Europe and Greece wants reparations, while Turkey occupied Greece for 500 years and gets away with it?
Or is Turkey not worth blackmailing since they are broke themselves and leech off of Germany? Furthermore, the Neo-Communists think it's fair to once again fleece Germany but demanding anything from Turkey would be racist and Islamophobe, right?
Greek Civil War 1945-49
Markus
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Civil_War
Here is another prime example of the absurd UK-US pseudo-opposition to Communism, installing Kosher Nationalists. If Syriza should be angry at anyone, it's the UK-US intelligence and special forces that crushed the Communist government of Greece after WW2.
And again, if UK-US was truly interested in stamping out Communism once and for all, they would have joined the Axis or at least leave Germany (which had no claims to UK or US territory) to fight this epic war without interfering.
I also found out that the Greek monarchy was German and Danish, just fyi.
Lack of character
carolyn
These issues are really about getting special treatment for Greece by playing on various sympathies. These guys think they're so sttractive and have so much sex appeal that they can capture world opinion in their favor against the stuffy Germans. Plus the fact that banks and international finance figures are not liked anyway.
To my German way of thinking, though, when you immediately deny something that is shown on a film from only 2 years ago, and accuse everyone involved of "fakery", that is pretty shocking childish behavior for an ex-professor who is a member of a European government. If Tsipris knew what he was doing, instead of being childish himself, he would remove Varoufakis from his government unless Varoufakis makes a convincing apology. If not, they will never live this down.
Think about it. After making all that fuss about German media faking his finger gesture, he after the fact checked it out and posted a link to the identical film on his Twitter account! He has shown himself all along to be someone who speaks loudly and confidently BEFORE he checks the facts. Wow, that's a real good trait for a Finance Minister, isn't it? He is the one who had them saying that Greece had no problem with liquid cash flow, a month or so back, then it turned out those figures were wrong and they DID have a big problem.
These are character issues. Race (in the loose sense of the word) determines character. Then add in communism and you've got a hopeless situation.
"chris"
carolyn
I guess "chris" was just the usual troll who expects to be allowed to spread nonsense wherever he wants and takes offense if you don't guess right about who he is. The type of hate these people express is really poisonous -- the vileness of an anonymous person. So I removed his comment and my reply.
I am never anonymous and don't like talking to people who are.
Who am I trolling Carolyn?I
chris
Who am I trolling Carolyn?
I have no desire to hang around to appreciate the toilet spray.
I made two quick comments that proved your "German thinking" to be inaccurate. I am no fan of Varoufakis or his communist clan but I'm certainly not fan of people being debt slaves to Jewmany.
Why did you remove your previous comment?
Leave it up for all to see. Cant have that now can we!
To you, yes I am anonymous. What else would you like from me?
Why have a comment section on your site?
Dear chris,
carolyn
I deleted your comment and my reply when you sent a 2nd comment saying I was stupid and calling me a jew and a kike. I wasn't going to allow someone of your caliber commenting here. So they are all gone, can't bring them back. This is your 3rd comment and I left it to show your style and what it is you are trying to say.
I don't think you have ever commented here before this, but without any introduction of yourself you write, as you say, "two quick comments" that "prove me inaccurate." Okay, if you think so, but all you did is deny what I wrote, you did not "prove" anything, let alone that I was wrong.
I guess you don't like my asking "Who would you believe between Greeks and Germans?" But the post in question is no more than exactly what happened in every detail, none of which has been disputed at all. So what you don't like is the truth being pointed out. You are here to defend Greeks, who you want to be seen as victims of "debt slavery" caused by the "Jewmans." But instead of having a reasonable argument for your position, you resort to name-calling and dropping links. Links should be used to support an argument or position already made, not take the place of one.
I have a comment section so people can make intelligent and sincere comments on what is posted here. Not snide and not unintelligent ones. It's not my fault that commenters who want to disagree usually do so in a snide and unintelligent way.
Debt slavery
Markus
Germany is under debtslavery too. It is not the debt slaver. And to say only debt slavery destroys a nation, is like saying person A and person B only go broke because they have credit cards, while their work effort and success in life makes no difference, only debt slavery does.
Usury plays a big role but not the only, and because Germany and Greece are both under this financial system, it evens out the fault and guilt for the problems. Germany still manages to cope with it, although it pays huge amounts to all kinds of nations and organizations, while Greece crumbles paying to the EU in which Germany is the biggest player because it copes with usury and other obsticles, which are harsher than any other nations' obsticle. WW1 reparations were only recently paid off, while WW2 payments are perpetual it seems. Plus the psychological pressure on Germany with the war guilt lies etc.
Well, it IS a fake. Created by a German comediant.Poor media...
Vítor Vieira
Just watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vx-1LQu6mAE.
Or http://www.dw.de/german-tv-presenter-claims-faking-varoufakis-middle-fi…
Don't jump to conclusions
carolyn
"Though the second video looks extremely convincing — Böhmermann is the same guy who did the brilliant "V for Varoufakis" video a few weeks ago — it now appears that the video from Böhmermann was definitely a joke, though the original clip that aired on Jauch's show is real.
This is further supported by Germany's biggest tabloid newspaper, Bild, which earlier said that the second video showing the manipulation was fake and that the ZDF network that carries Böhmermann's show would admit as much on Thursday."
From:
http://www.businessinsider.com/yanis-varoufakis-middle-finger-controversy-real-fake-bohmermann-jauch-2015-3#ixzz3Uqa9X1uK
On the "debt slavery" front ...
carolyn
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has requested a meeting with the leaders of Germany, France and the main EU institutions on the sidelines of a European Union summit to press for Athens to receive short-term funds to keep itself afloat.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel doused any expectation of a deal at the late-night session, saying decisions were up to the Eurogroup of finance ministers of the 19-nation euro area.
"I want to say: don't expect a solution, don't expect a breakthrough. It's not the right setting," she told reporters on arrival at the summit. "Decisions are made in the Eurogroup and that's how it will remain."
French President Francois Hollande said the message to Tsipras would be that all sides must stick to their commitments.
"What shocks me is not that the Greek government is making an effort for the poor. What we ask of Greece is to make the richest people pay tax," he said.
Tsipras did not mention his country's acute funding problems in a brief comment on arrival, saying only: "The EU needs more political initiatives that respect both democracy and its treaties so that we leave behind the crisis and move to growth." Merkel earlier told the German parliament in Berlin the crisis could only be resolved if Greece stuck to reform commitments it made when it agreed with the euro zone on a four-month extension of its bailout program.
A political meeting of a small group of leaders could not be used to circumvent the formal agreement Greece concluded on Feb. 20 with the Eurogroup, [Merkel] told the lawmakers.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has been trying to build bridges between Tsipras and Greece's creditors. His exasperated tone suggested even Athens' friends are losing patience with its belligerent rhetoric and procrastination.
EU sources said Greece had refused to provide any update on public finances or reform plans in a conference call of senior euro zone officials on Tuesday and had denied EU, IMF and European Central Bank experts access to government buildings in Athens, insisting all meetings take place in a hotel.
The discussions had not gone beyond procedural issues of who would be allowed to talk to whom, the sources said.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/eu-tell-greece-time-patience-150504918.ht…--
Markus AGAIN has problems with historical facts!
xwpis onoma
I will be brief: Markus, it is obvious you've been divorced with the study of history. Carolyn, please help Markus with his learning disability, most of his comments, when touching on a history matter, are an embarrassment for your otherwise excellent site. Finally, the Tsipras government of Greece was an anomaly in a political sense, they were sponsored promoted and literally placed as Greece's "democratically elected" government by no less than a US based (and G. Soros funded) jewish cabal with the primary objective to close the (so called) "Macedonian" issue between Greece and Skopje, which they did favorably for the Slavic Skopjans. Do not blame the Greek people, yes they are responsible for whom they vote but please study the circumstances uner which Syriza won the elections and then you will change your attitude. The 2015 elections was the greatest political scam in the history of Greek politics. Trust me on this, I am not here to make excuses just to point whomever is interested in the right direction. Thanks!