Unknown individuals vandalized a public statue in central Thessaloniki early this morning (8 March 2026). According to initial reports, the vandals painted the statue’s face black and wrote the phrase ‘Jesus Christ Conquers’ across its body.
‘The Woman on the Bus’ Statue
The damaged artwork is titled ‘The Woman on the Bus’, a 2.75-meter bronze sculpture by Greek artist Manolis Tzombanakis. Installed in March 2025 on the Aristotelous Square ‘petal’ — a newly renovated pedestrian zone along Thessaloniki’s iconic seafront boulevard — the piece was donated by the Gleoudis family.
The sculpture depicts a woman boarding an urban bus and is intended as a tribute to everyday life in the city, as reported by thestival.gr. Its installation sparked debate and mixed reactions on social media at the time.