Strangers tied with a rope and tried to steal, detaching from its base, the bronze statue of the ethnic martyr Nikos Kapetanidis located in the metropolitan park of Pavlos Melas in Stavroupoli, Thessaloniki.

The statue, weighing about half a ton, is the work of the sculptor Giorgos Kikotis and was placed in the metropolitan park of Pavlos Melas in September 2021.

Residents of the area realized today at noon that some people tried to steal the statue and notified the president of the “Nikos Kapetanidis” Action Association George Giorgiadis, who rushed to the spot and found the statue tied with a rope and found next to its base traces of vehicle wheels with the which the thieves tried to drag. He then notified the police and filed a complaint against unknown persons.

As Mr. Georgiadis reported to APE-MBE, it is not the first time that the monument has been targeted by vandals, as previously unknown persons had removed sculptural representations from its base. At the same time, he notes that the situation in the Pavlos Mela metropolitan park is intolerable and there is a security problem in the area as there have been repeated complaints about theft and damage of valuable materials, cables, etc. relating to the electricity supply and the lighting of the space.