Research on the removal of the Antonis Kargiotis monument from Gate E3 following the intense backlash and the allegations of vandalism.
At the center of a new public debate is the removal of the monument that had been placed at Gate E3 of the port of Piraeus in memory of Antonis Kargiotis, with the issue sparking strong reactions and leading to intervention by the Ministry of Shipping. The case has raised questions about the circumstances under which the memorial was removed, while the minister Vasilis Kikilias has called for a full investigation by the relevant authorities, in order to determine who gave the order and through what procedure the removal took place. The monument was associated with the memory of the 36-year-old, whose tragic loss in September 2023 had shocked the public and had highlighted critical issues regarding safety and respect for human life in maritime transport.
The investigation into the circumstances under which the memorial honoring Antonis Kargiotis was removed from the port of Piraeus, was requested by the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Vasilis Kikilias, in a post on the X platform.
The order
As he stated, he has ordered the relevant authorities to immediately and thoroughly investigate who was responsible for the removal of the monument and how it was carried out: “This monument is precious because it reminds us that nothing is more important than the value of human life,” the minister noted in his post.
It should be recalled that Antonis Kargiotis, in his attempt to board the Blue Horizon passenger-car ferry bound for Heraklion, was pushed away by crew members while the ship was in the process of departing, causing him to fall into the sea. The ship continued on its course, and the 36-year-old man was swept away by the wake caused by the propellers, losing his life by drowning. The incident, which was captured on video and sparked a nationwide outcry, led to criminal charges against crew members and became a landmark case regarding safety and respect for human life in maritime transport.
The memorial was placed at Gate E3 of the Port of Piraeus, at the spot where 36-year-old Antonis lost his life on September 5, 2023. Earlier, in a social media post, the mother of 21-year-old Emma—the student who lost her life in a traffic accident in Thessaloniki in November 2022— expressed her outrage over the removal of the memorial that had been erected in memory of Antonis Kargiotis.
She posted photos which, as she states, show the condition of the memorial before and after its removal from the site at Gate E3, where, in September 2023, 36-year-old Antonis Kargiotis lost his life when crew members of a passenger ship pushed him off the gangway into the sea.
In her post, Kelly Kampaki notes that the memorial had been vandalized repeatedly and claims that, after 14 incidents of damage, “on the 15th, they took everything away.”
At the same time, she linked the incident to the acts of vandalism that have occurred from time to time at the Kamara site in Thessaloniki, where her daughter Emma lost her life, taking a dig at those who wish to erase the memory of the victims.
“Just as in Emma’s case at Kamara in Thessaloniki, some people obviously don’t want to remember. But no matter how hard they try to erase their traces, Antonis and Emma will not be forgotten,” she wrote pointedly.
