For the attack he received in the CAT area and the situation in Mykonos said Manolis Psarros, archaeologist of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, at a press conference of the Association of Greek Archaeologists.

According to him, he is still recovering from the attack he received on March 7: his ribs are broken, his nose is broken, his vision has not fully recovered.

“The goal of those who ordered the attack was probably my life, in order to send a strong signal to all colleagues,” said Mr. Psarros, pointing out that in the days before the attack, he noticed “strange movements” directed at his observation .

For this reason, he asked his lawyers to upgrade the charge to a felony so that they can open cell phones and find those responsible for the attack and those who gave them the order.

M. Psarros showed that another colleague was sent an SMS with threats and slanderwith whom they resolved common issues in Mykonos.

“Some financial interests in Mykonos want to interfere in the protection of antiquities and want to intimidate every employee who does a good job,” he said pointedly.

He also stressed that he wants to return to his duties and continue to deal with the affairs of Mykonos after his sick leave.

Among the requests he voiced were the strengthening of the EFA Cyclades staff, the assistance of a lawyer with a paid mandate, and the protection of the police while on duty.

Finally, Manolis Psarros called the Ministry of Culture’s decision to demand the removal of the archaeologists who have so far worked on Mykonos “a misreporting”.

Full statement by M. Psarros

“I served in the Archaeological Service for several decades.

The last 10 years in the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and the last 8 years with responsibility for Mykonos.

I always fulfill my duties, serving the archaeological law and the protection of monuments and monuments, like all archaeologists.

I never expected to be in the spotlight and didn’t strive for it, and I feel embarrassed about it.

I am still recovering from the attack I received on March 7th in the CAT area.

Fortunately, I am alive thanks to the car that swerved and prevented the criminal or criminals from completing their task.

I want to publicly thank the driver of the car who made the attackers run and found me unconscious and covered in blood. I guess I owe him my life.

My ribs are broken, my nose is broken and my vision has not yet fully recovered. We don’t know yet if this will be a permanent problem.

The purpose of those who ordered the attack was probably my life, to send a strong signal to all colleagues.
In hindsight, I realized that in the days before, there had been strange movements to identify and hunt me down.

For this reason, I asked my lawyers to upgrade the charge to a felony so that they can open cell phones and find the perpetrators of the attack and those who gave them the order.

I thank all my colleagues who supported me from the first moment, and the clubs that opened this business. For those few who doubted the cause of the attack, even if it was related to the business I was doing in Mykonos, sending a threatening and slanderous SMS to another colleague with whom we resolved common issues in Mykonos is proof that our unions spoke with the very beginning. Some financial interests in Mykonos want to interfere with the protection of antiquities and want to intimidate every employee who does his job properly.

From the first moment, I made it clear that after my sick leave, I want to return to my duties normally and continue to deal with the affairs of Mykonos. However, I ask, like all my colleagues, to feel that the Ministry of Culture and the organized state support me in my work so that I can do it without fear.

We have asked for reinforcements of EFA Cyclades staff, the assistance of a paid attorney, the protection of the police during our duties when we come face to face with armed thugs, as happened to me.

The Minister of Culture visited me in the hospital. I did not expect that after this visit the solution he would find would be to demand the removal of the archaeologists who had dealt with Mykonos so far! This is not the protection we asked for.

This sends the wrong message to those who carried out the attack and reinforces their own message to my fellow archaeologists. The message, that is, that they can get out of the way of employees who bother them.

We counted on the political leadership to be on our side. I expected that they would ask me for files with illegal activities that I was engaged in and take them to the prosecutor’s office. I expected them to make sure demolition records were issued for structures that were built without legal permits.

Instead of these moves, it seems that the Ministry of Culture itself is devastating its employees. It doesn’t reward us, it punishes us. I agree with the decisions of my unions and ask the Ministry of Culture to support their workers.”