Facebook and politics

The tragicomic backlash sparked by the unfortunate plan to rename Athens' Evangelismos metro station (which serves the hospital of the same name in the downtown Kolonaki district) Pavlos Bakoyannis, after the late conservative politician who was gunned down in the area 30 years ago by the November 17 terrorist group, was not all bad. For it was the widespread protests on social media that forced the officials to rethink the obviously problematic idea, and that was actually a good thing.

The idea was problematic because it would have associated the city's popular transport system, which is politically and socially neutral, with a political figure from Greece's modern history. 

Names of metro stations must reflect their geographical location. The most practical reason is to facilitate local commuters and foreign visitors who use the metro to get around. But it also...