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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/yanis-varoufakis-calls-prosecution-after-admitting-taking-ecstasy-40-years-ago-ridiculous>
"Yanis Varoufakis, the leftwing firebrand who briefly served as Greece’s
finance minister, has criticised his “ridiculous prosecution” for allegedly
promoting the use of recreational drugs after his public admission that he once
took an ecstasy pill almost 40 years ago.
The 64-year-old, who reminisced about the experience on a podcast, was charged
on Wednesday with “inciting others in the illegal use of narcotics”. If
convicted he faces a prison term of at least six months and up to €50,000
(£44,000) in fines. A court hearing has been scheduled for December.
On Friday, Varoufakis described the indictment as indicative of the far-right
turn in politics across the west.
“My ridiculous prosecution must be seen within the wider, west-wide surge of an
insidious new form of fascism,” he wrote on X, highlighting what he claimed was
the appointment of “neo-fascists” to top posts in the centre-right Greek
government.
“In this context, I am honoured by their determination to persecute me – as it
grants me the privilege of calling upon people of good conscience, from around
the world, to stand together, to oppose them.”
He accused Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis of “cutting a deal”
with the far right to ensure that, unlike elsewhere in Europe, extremists did
not form their own party. In prominent ministerial positions, he said, they
were then able to “use their authority to appeal to their electoral base by
ensuring … that people like myself are harassed and dragged through the
courts”.
Varoufakis, an economics professor widely seen on the European left as Greece’s
most vociferous public intellectual, spoke candidly about his own brush with
drugs on the podcast in January. Although his small leftwing party, MeRA25,
narrowly failed to cross the threshold into parliament in elections in June
2023, he holds particular appeal among young voters disillusioned with
mainstream politics.
Asked if he had ever used drugs, he recalled an incident in Sydney in 1989
when, after a Mardi Gras parade, he had taken ecstasy during a Kylie Minogue
concert. “I’m not like Bill Clinton who ‘did not inhale’. I inhaled,” he said.
“I took ecstasy once. It was an amazing experience until a few days later when
I had an incredible migraine … I remember dancing 15 to 16 hours, as if nothing
had happened, but then I suffered for a week and never took it again.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
