Nikos Papadopoulos, an MP from the right-wing Niki party, was detained and later released on Monday after vandalizing exhibits at the National Gallery in Athens.
Papadopoulos broke protective glass and damaged artworks in the exhibition The Allure of the Stranger, claiming they were blasphemous. He was apprehended by security and held in the gallery’s basement before being released, as the offense was classified as a misdemeanor rather than a felony.
The case file will now be forwarded to Parliament due to his parliamentary immunity, a necessary step before any potential prosecution.
Prior to the incident, Papadopoulos had formally requested the removal of the exhibits and had raised the issue with the Minister of Culture.
Upon his release, he defended his actions, stating: “For the past 1.5 months, I have been asking Mrs. Mendoni a pertinent question about why the National Gallery is hosting a profane exhibition that insults the face of the Virgin Mary and the Saints that we have learned to respect in our homes.”
He further criticized the use of public funds for the exhibition, saying, “Students come and see this exhibition to see the image of Christ and the Virgin Mary as blood-sucking vampires and of Saint George, whom Muslims also respect.”
His actions were widely condemned, with the Association of Greek Archaeologists calling them “brutal, abhorrent, and uncivilized.”
Opposition parties, including SYRIZA and New Left, denounced the attack as an assault on artistic freedom and called for his punishment in accordance with the law.
