ATHENS – Less than a month after allegations of sexual assault by a Greek Olympic sailing champion generated a national reckoning on a topic considered taboo, the Greek arts world was swept away by a torrent of accusations and denials.
Several famous actors and directors have been accused of harassment or assault and removed from high profile productions. The artistic director of the country’s prestigious National Theater resigned amid a flurry of reports accusing him of sexual abuse and harassment, which he angrily denied.
Most of the charges – both men and women – have surfaced in media reports. Prosecutors in Athens are handling the most serious cases and have pledged to investigate all credible allegations.
A court official, who would speak only on condition of anonymity, said he hoped there would be more cases, although it was unclear how many would be on trial, given the time since the alleged incidents and the lack of evidence.
The storm of accusations against well-known names and respected figures in the Greek arts world takes place in one of the most conservative societies in Europe, where such abuses have been commented on for a long time, but never openly discussed, much less prosecuted.
Last month, Sofia Bekatorou, Olympic sailing champion in 2004 and one of the most popular athletes in the country, publicly accused a leading sailing official of sexually abusing her in 1998. It was the first charge of sexual violence and abuse of power in Greece since the #MeToo movement it has shaken the power structures established in many other countries.
Her decision to speak out opened the floodgates for similar claims and sparked an unusually open and passionate debate about sexual harassment and abuse in Greece, where, studies suggest, up to nine out of ten women face undesirable advances in the media, sports, politics and other sectors dominated by men.
In the world of performing arts, professionals say, the problem is acute and men are also being targeted.
The Greek actors’ union has received hundreds of calls in the past few days from professionals alleging abuse.
Spyros Bibilas, the head of the union, told Greek television that the actors call him “sobbing”, adding that many of the alleged episodes occurred during Greece’s decade-long financial crisis, when job insecurity peaked and people were particularly vulnerable.
In a statement earlier this month, another union representing theater students at the National Theater of Greece denounced “countless cases of workplace bullying and sexist violence”, as well as racism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination.
In response to complaints, the Greek Ministry of Culture said it was overseeing an initiative to create a code of conduct for state cultural institutions. The ministry urged the national actors’ union to report any cases of abuse to the authorities.
“There is zero tolerance for abuse of power, sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination and all forms of violence,” said Deputy Minister of Contemporary Culture, Nicholas Yatromanolakis, by e-mail. “The cultural field is and must remain a place where dreams, not nightmares, come true.”
But some of the best-known figures who have been accused of abuse say they are victims of public hysteria, where guilt is presumed.
The artistic director of the country’s prestigious National Theater, Dimitris Lignadis, resigned on February 6 after reports suggesting he sexually harassed young actors. He denied those reports. Since he left office, more reports of sexual abuse have been filed against him.
In his resignation letter, which was made public by the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Lignadis refers to a “toxic climate of rumors”.
His lawyer, Nikos Georgouleas, said Lignadis was being unjustly targeted and defamed. Since his resignation, posters with his photo have been pasted on bus stops in central Athens, warning that he “will pay for everything”.
“He feels at the center of this storm, with new rumors arising every day,” said Georgouleas by phone, adding that Lignadis was ready to “offer all necessary explanations” to prosecutors.
Messages sent to the Facebook accounts of other working professionals facing charges have not been responded to, and further efforts to contact them have been unsuccessful.
Harrys Tzortzakis, one of three male actors who accused filmmaker Costas Zapas of sexual harassment, spoke of an “omerta” in the industry, using the word for the Mafia’s code of silence.
In a statement on his Facebook page on January 30, Mr. Zapas refuted the claims.
“I never pressured anyone to behave in a way they didn’t want to,” he wrote.
Tzortzakis told Greek television last week: “We are afraid to name names if they sue us or who knows what else.” He asked the Ministry of Culture to make it clear that it supports the victims.
Three actresses issued a joint statement in late January accusing Kostas Spyropoulos, actor and director of sexual harassment. He issued a statement to the Greek media through his lawyer apologizing for offending someone and then asked for an injunction against Greek television channels to prevent them from mentioning his name in conjunction with showing the statement, saying that it was false and violated their rights.
Jenny Botsi, one of the three actresses, expressed gratitude to Ms. Bekatorou for breaking a wider silence. Ms. Botsi was one of many who said that Ms. Bekatorou inspired them to perform.
“She doesn’t know how good she did,” Botsi told Greek television. “It paved the way and, fortunately, we seized the opportunity.”
Seven actresses accused another prominent director and actor, George Kimoulis, of verbal and physical abuse, although not sexual harassment. He dismissed the charges as “unacceptable and false” and is suing at least one of the actresses.
Still, the organizers of the popular Athens and Epidaurus Festival removed Kimoulis from a play scheduled to be staged at Epidaurus’ old theater this summer.
In a statement, organizers said they acted because of the “great shadow of recent developments”.
While public accusations and subsequent withdrawals caused turmoil in the arts, it was unclear whether they would ever be litigated in court.
The main problem for the accusers, according to legal experts, is that many of the alleged abuses date back to years and the process may be limited by the country’s statute of limitations.
Under Greek law, rape can be prosecuted for up to 15 years. As for sexual harassment, the offense expires three months after the incident if there is no legal action.
Although a debate started over amending the law to reinforce protection for victims of sexual crimes, legal experts said it seemed unlikely that the government would make any radical changes.
Even the Bekatorou case, which started the current wave of accusations, was dismissed by prosecutors.
Ms. Bekatorou said that this is why it is important for victims to “break the silence without delay”.
President Katerina Sakellaropoulou of Greece expressed her “great concern” about the wave of accusations.
“The biggest benefit of this difficult period for the theater, and for other areas of the arts and other sectors, is freedom from fear,” she said. It is equally important, she said, that justice be done “in order to restore the dignity and influence of the personalities and institutions that society so badly needs”.