Greece’s National Gallery said a Greek lawmaker on Monday attacked four paintings in an exhibition at the museum in Athens, including one he had previously criticized as offensive on religious grounds.

Police detained Nikolaos Papadopoulos — of the small right-wing, ultra-religious Niki party — for several hours before releasing him. The National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum shut down after the attack, with visitors turned away.

1. Unordered Item 1
2. Unordered Item 2
3. Unordered Item 3

• List Item 2
• List Item 3
• List Item 1

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Heading 4

Heading 5

Heading 6

This is the caption. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.

Greece’s National Gallery said a Greek lawmaker on Monday attacked four paintings in an exhibition at the museum in Athens, including one he had previously criticized as offensive on religious grounds.

Police detained Nikolaos Papadopoulos — of the small right-wing, ultra-religious Niki party — for several hours before releasing him. The National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum shut down after the attack, with visitors turned away.

The museum issued a statement saying Papadopoulos and one other person attacked the paintings that were part of an exhibition of Greek artists titled “The Allure of the Bizarre,” throwing them to the floor and shattering glass in the frames.

The exhibition includes works that caricature religious icons and themes, and runs as an accompaniment to a display of 80 engravings by the Spanish master Francisco Goya.

Papadopoulos previously said in parliament that one of the Greek paintings was offensive to Orthodox Christianity, the predominant religion in Greece, asserting that it insulted the Virgin Mary and Christ.

The Culture Ministry responded that it acts “with the aim of protecting the country’s cultural and artistic heritage in general” and that it “never engages in acts of censorship.”

“I took down four icons, four blasphemous icons, and in two of those ... the glass pane broke, nothing else,” Papadopoulos told reporters after he was released. He said works at the exhibition “insult the Virgin Mary, St George ... the archangels that we in our homes were taught to worship and respect.”

In a statement issued Monday evening, the gallery’s board of directors said it “unreservedly condemn(s) every act of vandalism, violence and censorship which violate the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.”

Formed in 2019, Niki, Greek for Victory, first entered parliament in 2023 elections, offering a mix of Orthodox Christian traditionalism and nationalism. It holds 10 of parliament’s 300 seats.

Greece’s National Gallery said a Greek lawmaker on Monday attacked four paintings in an exhibition at the museum in Athens, including one he had previously criticized as offensive on religious grounds.

Police detained Nikolaos Papadopoulos — of the small right-wing, ultra-religious Niki party — for several hours before releasing him. The National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum shut down after the attack, with visitors turned away.

The museum issued a statement saying Papadopoulos and one other person attacked the paintings that were part of an exhibition of Greek artists titled “The Allure of the Bizarre,” throwing them to the floor and shattering glass in the frames.

The exhibition includes works that caricature religious icons and themes, and runs as an accompaniment to a display of 80 engravings by the Spanish master Francisco Goya.

Papadopoulos previously said in parliament that one of the Greek paintings was offensive to Orthodox Christianity, the predominant religion in Greece, asserting that it insulted the Virgin Mary and Christ.

The Culture Ministry responded that it acts “with the aim of protecting the country’s cultural and artistic heritage in general” and that it “never engages in acts of censorship.”

“I took down four icons, four blasphemous icons, and in two of those ... the glass pane broke, nothing else,” Papadopoulos told reporters after he was released. He said works at the exhibition “insult the Virgin Mary, St George ... the archangels that we in our homes were taught to worship and respect.”

In a statement issued Monday evening, the gallery’s board of directors said it “unreservedly condemn(s) every act of vandalism, violence and censorship which violate the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.”

Formed in 2019, Niki, Greek for Victory, first entered parliament in 2023 elections, offering a mix of Orthodox Christian traditionalism and nationalism. It holds 10 of parliament’s 300 seats.

Greece’s National Gallery said a Greek lawmaker on Monday attacked four paintings in an exhibition at the museum in Athens, including one he had previously criticized as offensive on religious grounds.

Police detained Nikolaos Papadopoulos — of the small right-wing, ultra-religious Niki party — for several hours before releasing him. The National Gallery - Alexandros Soutsos Museum shut down after the attack, with visitors turned away.