Strangers vandalized it Monument of Pontic and Asia Minor Hellenismwhich had been erected at its central point municipality of Neapolis – Sykeon in the summer of 2023. Already, the municipal authority has filed a lawsuit, while the Police are looking for evidence from security cameras of nearby shops in order to identify the perpetrators.

As stated in an announcement by the municipality of Neapolis – Sykeon, “with the aim of either stealing the metal or insulting the memory of the Asia Minor and Pontian refugees, unknown persons sabotaged the monument after previously taking care to disable the lighting system.”

The mayor of Neapolis-Sykeon, Simos Daniilidis, expressed his disgust and anger at the incident, noting -among others- that those who tried to destroy it “should be ashamed because they insult the memory of their grandparents, and become allies with the persecutors of their ancestors».

The monument will be restored as soon as possible by the honorary professor of the School of Fine Arts of the AUTH, Giorgos Tsaras, who designed it.

The Pontic and Asia Minor Hellenism Memorial Park of the municipality of Neapolis-Sykeon, located between Riga Feraios-Andreas Papandreou-Nafpaktos streets, was inaugurated in June 2023, while at the same time the unveiling of the monument took place, which is in the form of an inclined column, six meters high and at the top of it houses seven illuminated birds, which convey the message of living memory.