Nikos Papadopoulos on Vandalism at the National Gallery: These Nonsense Are Not Art

Nikos Papadopoulos continues to defend his act of vandalizing artworks at the National Gallery. Speaking to Star, Papadopoulos, a member of the NIKI party, emphasized that he had to protect the children at all costs. He specifically mentioned, “The result, I believe, has justified us; the act itself is not something I enjoy—I am a very peaceful person and a father who wants to set a good example. However, seeing these children exposed to such profanity, with the Ministry of Culture and the National Gallery supporting such absurdities, feeding our young ones nonsense, I felt compelled to take action since no other means worked. At that moment, I decided to remove these abominations.” He further questioned whether such defilements and nonsense could be considered art, especially when they insult sacred symbols like the Virgin Mary. Professor Ioannis Panagiotopoulos of Ecclesiastical History also spoke to Star, stating that art cannot desecrate symbols of faith. He noted that such references are extremely troubling and naturally provoke reactions from those in the Orthodox faith community. Angelos Papadimitriou, an artist and member of the Board of Directors of the National Gallery, stated that there must be consequences for such actions under the law and justice system.