Fundamentalist MP files lawsuit over National Gallery incident

Independent MP Nikos Papadopoulos, formerly of the far-right Niki party, has filed a lawsuit alleging unlawful violence and illegal detention during a controversial incident at the National Gallery in March, where he defaced four artworks he deemed “offensive to religion.”

The incident led to the temporary removal of the artworks — created by artist Christophoros Katsadiotis — from public display. Gallery officials have not commented on whether they will be reinstalled.

Papadopoulos, who was expelled from Niki shortly after the incident, claims in his legal filing that police officers and gallery staff used excessive force against him during his arrest. In a public statement, he defended his actions, citing religious “anguish” and reaffirming his opposition to the artworks’ return to the exhibition.

The case has sparked debate about artistic freedom, religious sensitivities, and the limits of protest within cultural institutions.