ISRAEL PUSHES AHEAD WITH JUDICIAL REVAMP DESPITE MASS PROTESTS
Archaeologists employed by the Culture Ministry staged a five-hour work stoppage to protest what their association described as a "mafia-style attack."
"Our colleague’s ... personal life does not justify any such criminal attack and we directly relate it to the cases that he handled on the island of Mykonos," Despina Koutsoumba, the head of the protesting archaeologists’ association told an online news conference Monday.
State-employed archaeologists in Greece hold placards in a strike action outside the Culture Ministry in Athens, on March 14, 2023, to protest the assault of an archaeologist on the island of Mykonos. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
"In the course of his duties he had dealt with serious cases of violations of archaeological and environmental legislation and of the legislation to (protect) coastal areas."
The protest was joined by ministry employees in Athens as well as the national Association of Archaeological Conservators.
Planning permission in Greece is often subject to a veto by the local archaeological service, which is tasked with protecting the country’s ancient heritage.
One of Greece’s best known holiday destinations, Mykonos was settled in ancient times and hosts an archaeological museum. It is located next to the tiny and uninhabited island of Delos, an ancient commercial, religious and political center that is considered one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites.
The Culture Ministry condemned the assault, while Mykonos Mayor Constantinos Koukas described the beating as a "criminal and brazen attack that has shocked us all."