Archaeologist attacked and punched by a contractor on Kos
An archaeologist was attacked and punched by a contractor on the island of Kos last month, organizations representing archaeologists and culture ministry employees have charged.
In a joint statement, the Association of Temporary Archaeologists (SEKE) and Panhellenic Association of Emergency Personnel of the Ministry of Culture (PSEP YPPO) condemned the incident.
According to the statement, on July 30, “a temporary archaeologist working on a project in Kos on behalf of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese was violently attacked by a (sub)contractor.
“The verbal provocation and the raised tones on the part of the latter culminated in a direct, unprovoked physical attack and a violent punch with repeated blows to the archaeologist’s face,” the statement said.
Kos was becoming more and more like Mykonos, where attacks on archaeologists by builders have occurred in the past, the statement said.
The associations accused the Culture Ministry of sending temporary archaeologists to supervise sites without proper contracts and of exposing them to danger.
In their statement, they alleged that the “coordinated attacks” on employees and the ancient monuments were being conducted from “the smallest subcontractor up to the largest engineering and construction companies.”
