Mykonos property developers ‘put a hit out’ on Greek archaeologist

Mykonos. Photo / 123rf

An archaeologist on the Greek island of Mykonos who accused property developers of breaking laws protecting historic sites suspects them of ordering an attack on his life.

Manolis Psarros needed hospital treatment after he was beaten up by two men as he left his house in Athens on March 7, leaving him with broken ribs, a fractured nose and facial bruising.

”I remember approaching my car, and then the next memory I have is being loaded into the ambulance,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

For the last decade, Psarros has worked for the Archaeological Service of the Cyclades Islands, ensuring new homes and businesses comply with laws intended to protect the remains of antiquity scattered across Greece.

Psarros and the Association of Greek Archaeologists (SEA) believe that the assault was related to two businesses in the tourist hotspot of Mykonos that are accused of encroaching on archaeological sites.

The archaeologist took the two cases to the authorities, and they are currently under investigation.

”The assault was professional,” said Despina Koutsoumba, chairman of the SEA. “Our colleague had no other contact with people who could organise such a hit, other than his occupational involvement in cases of illegal development carried out by business interests in Mykonos.”

With its pristine villages and turquoise waters, Mykonos has long been one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations.

The island’s resorts cater to the rich and famous, pushing up property prices and helping the tiny island, home to under 10,000 permanent residents, generate more than 0.5 per cent of Greece’s GDP. Psarros said that over the last three years, the pressure he has faced from local interests has mounted in parallel with the island’s intensified development.

The attack on Psarros has exacerbated a growing rift between archaeologists and the Greek ministry of culture.

In a statement, the SEA criticised the ministry for putting “economic interests” over “the protection of cultural heritage”, saying it had “defamed” archaeologists’ work.

Tensions between archaeologists and Lina Mendoni, the minister of culture, have been high since she took office in 2019.

Mendoni has often attacked archaeologists in statements, calling them “fans of backtracking” and “stuck in stereotypes and the ideology of introverted culture”.

But Koutsoumba said: “Whenever there is a conflict, the ministry intervenes in favour of business interests.”

The ministry declined to comment on Koutsoumba’s allegations regarding the attack on Psarros.

In the aftermath of the assault, the ministry released a statement condemning the attack and Mendoni visited Psarros in the hospital.

Psarros described his meeting with Mendoni as “completely perfunctory”.

”I asked her to guarantee that I will be able to return to Mykonos and do my job,” he said.

In order to do that, he said, his assailants must be found and convicted.

”If that does not happen, I don’t know what I’ll do. I am the father of a small child.

”But I don’t want to be forced out of the island where I have been working for the last ten years,” he added.