The Piraeus Port Authority has expressed willingness to respect the past and to conserve antiquities, in accordance with the concession agreement ratified by the Greek Parliament — which includes paying €2.5 million for the ancient walls’ restoration. So what would be the point in declaring so much of Piraeus an archaeological site? Nikos Belavilas, the candidate in Piraeus from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s left-wing Syriza party, is behind in the polls. It allows Syriza to tell its voters that it fights big interests, even as it signs deals with them. Nikos Konstandaras is a columnist at the Greek newspaper Kathimerini and a contributing opinion writer.

Source: New York Times May 23, 2019 05:01 UTC