Dionysis Makris: ‘I Would Gladly Do It Again’ Regarding the Vandalism at the National Gallery

The act of vandalism at the National Gallery was not a solo effort by Nikos Papadopoulos, a member of the Victory party. In the video showing the vandalism of artworks, another man is also present—revealed to be Dionysis Makris. This revelation came during an episode of ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls,’ aired on the YouTube channel ‘Style Orthodoxy.’ Alongside him was Nikos Papadopoulos. Dionysis Makris, a former candidate for European Parliament with the Free Homeland party, can be seen forcefully grabbing and throwing an artwork in the video. He stated, ‘With Nikos, we went there to destroy this culture you promote—the worst thing that exists. We do not respect our mother. My mother is the Virgin Mary, and you have attacked her. I would gladly do it again.’ Papadopoulos added, ‘On Sunday, it was the restoration of icons, but inside the Greek gallery, the face of the Virgin Mary and the saints are mocked. I called my friend Dionysis, and so we went.’ Notably, Makris has previously been involved in protests against the theatrical play ‘Corpus Christi,’ which was canceled due to public backlash. He sent a letter to then-Prime Minister Antonis Samaras claiming he had a vision from a saint urging him to react against the play. Known for his strong opposition to anything anti-Christian, Makris has participated in marches against modern identities. Born in Rovies, Evia, Makris holds degrees from the Higher Ecclesiastical School of Athens, the Theological School of the University of Athens, and Byzantine Music. He served in the Military Air Force and even flew F16 missions over the Aegean. A journalist since 1991, he worked for several newspapers as an ecclesiastical and military writer. From 1995 to 1999, he was the editor of the religious newspaper ‘Orthodoxy in Greece and the World,’ and since 2000, he has directed ‘Style Orthodoxy.’ In 2010, he founded the publishing house ‘Agathos Logos,’ releasing numerous Christian-themed books translated into multiple languages. Since 2014, he has produced and hosted the radio show ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and presents the TV program ‘Orthodox (Di) Testimonies.’