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Topics: World News
Shiala Mahmood
Greek authorities have installed 150 CCTV cameras at Athens' Acropolis after a gay sex scene was filed there.
A gay sex scene filmed at the UNESCO World Heritage Site has left authorities outraged as they have described it as 'the most disgraceful affront to the sanctity of the site'.
A new CCTV system consisting of 150 camera is set to be installed as a preventative measure.
The 36-minute video titled Xeparthenon, which translates to 'deflowering', shows two men in face covering having sex at the Erechtheion, a smaller temple within the Acropolis complex.
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The scene was filmed at the archaeological site while it was open to the public and was surrounded by tourists.
The short film has left authorities disgusted as they have gathered to determine an appropriate response to the unexpected situation.
Acropolis head guard Ioannis Mavrikopoulos said: "It was a lewd, terribly lewd act. It marked the most disgraceful affront to the sanctity of the site."
On Tuesday (21 June), the Central Archaeological Council held a meeting where they authorised a new security system being installed on the Acropolis and the monuments of the northern and southern slopes.
The Acropolis complex, which includes the 2,500-year-old Parthenon, will have over 150 hi-tech camera installed for real-time monitoring.
The CCTV camera will be monitored on a 24-hour basis by specially trained staff.
Authorities believe that the new security measures are a necessary step to preventing any similar acts being carried out at the historic site.
Speaking to The Times, Mavrikopoulos said: "It is an important move in the right direction.
"We first have to invest in the protection of our cultural heritage. It is a sign of civilisation, not an affront to it."
The head guard also urged authorities to 'take similar protection across the country'.
The sex scene was filed in December, causing outrage in Greece and prompting an investigation by the Ministry of Culture, when it was released online.
The filmmakers who have chosen to remain anonymous, describe themselves as LGBT+ activities, stating they chose the Acropolis for 'symbol of nationalism and carrier of hetero-normal messages'.
In a statement, they said: "Some of us are subject to physical and verbal violence for our choices and expressions of sexuality… we will live our love and sexuality as we wish and we will defend the existence in public, but also the coexistence, of all sexualities that do not violate the self-disposition of our bodies."
They also described the sex scene at the historic site as a 'political act'.
However, the Ministry of Culture has said the film was made without its consent or permission. Expressing their outrage in a statement, they wrote: "The archaeological site of the Acropolis is not suitable for any kind of activism or other activity which would cause offence and displays disrespect for the monument."
President of the Greek Actors Association, Spyros Bibilas described the film as 'shameful' after it was sent to him anonymously.
Speaking on Antenna television, he said: "No one can use the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis for so-called activist actions and revolutionary acts, which are in fact both stupid and immoral.
"You can not do anything you want in the name of activism. In fact, I don't consider this to be activism… As a Greek, I feel ashamed."
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