A man was beaten by a hotel security guard on the island of Crete for trying to cross the beach, which the hotel filled with sunbeds and umbrellas, considering it “private”.
Beaches are considered public property under Greek law. However, try to go to the private beach…
It is worth noting that this incident occurred against the backdrop of an uprising of the local society against the blocking of free access to the beaches by hotels and beach bars with thousands of sun loungers and umbrellas, and the action “Towel movement“.
In conversation with local media newkriti.gr an injured guide working in Heraklion said that early in the morning he, along with a group of friends, tried to cross the beach to swim on the public part of the coast adjacent to the beach of the hotel before work.
He was beaten by a hotel security guard
“I’m a tour guide, I know where you can go and where you can’t. We weren’t going to sit in front of the hotel’s sunbeds, we wanted to go to a nearby beach and just had to pass by this site. It was around 4:30 in the morning, we crossed with four girls over the rocks, and when the hotel security man saw us, he started screaming. I tried to explain to him that we would not sit in this place, but in vain”– the victim told about the incident.
The company was frightened by the screams of the guard and tried to turn back. “The girls got scared and told me to come back, then he shouted at me“ come on … ”, and I, in turn, expressed my“ opinion ”about him. After we were on the street, he came up and hit me on face, I fell and hit my head on the asphalt. The girls told me that I lost consciousness. After we returned home and I saw the damage, I decided to go to the hospital”he emphasized.
https://rua.gr/news/obschestvo/56345-bitva-za-besplatnyj-otdykh-na-plyazhe.html
Are there private beaches in Greece?
“No. Each enterprise adjacent to the beach must provide free access for bathers (if there is no other access) through their facilities. If the enterprise in any way tries to prevent citizens from accessing the beach (by restraining signs, fences or guards), citizens should contact the police, with the only exception being the few organized beaches that charge an entrance fee“, says the victim.
The guide was hospitalized, where he will stay until tomorrow, as he injured the skull bone above his left eye.
What did the hotel say
The incident was reported to the hotel management, who, according to the guide, replied that they pay a very expensive rent to the municipality for the beach and do not allow anyone to sit, and they themselves are under protection. It is worth noting that the entrance to the hotel’s beach is through the restaurant, which leaves the alley open every night.
After being discharged from the hospital, the guide is going to report the incident to the police. For its part, the hotel, in conversation with Neakriti.gr stated that he was not responsible for what happened outside his rooms, that he had not been informed of what had happened, and that a security officer was responsible for the security of the building.
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