Greece is taking legal action after authorities were caught unaware by the fifth-century BC Acropolis playing a star role in an Adidas advertising campaign.
The decision to feature the western world’s enduring symbol of democracy for commercial purposes in a hi-tech drone show has left Athens with no choice but to press charges, the country’s culture minister said.
“The legal procedure wasn’t followed,” Lina Mendoni told SKAI radio. “This very bad, extremely unpleasant image is as if the Adidas shoe is kicking the Acropolis, aesthetically that is.”
The culture ministry had taken the step of filing a lawsuit “against anyone and everyone responsible”.
“Essentially, we have an advertisement which aims at the commercial exploitation of the specific monuments,” she said, insisting the video’s backdrop use of the Unesco world heritage site violated strict laws protecting the nation’s rich archaeological legacy.
By Saturday the Athens prosecutor’s office had opened an investigation into the procedure by which the sport retailer had acquired permits to stage the drone show.
Both the ministry of culture and the finance ministry have sought clarification from the Civil Aviation Authority, the body in charge of dispensing aerial permits in line with EU regulations.
The drone display, which reportedly took place late on Thursday, was launched from the neo-classical premises of the Zappeion conference centre in central Athens. A state-appointed commission, overseen by the national economy ministry, manages events at the Zappeion.
“Here we have another monument, a newer monument, whose administration, if nothing else, should have sought approval from the ministry of culture before granting permission,” Mendoni, a classical archaeologist herself, added. “Here, too, we have a breach of archaeological law.”
As the images circulated via social media and public outrage grew, Adidas hit back, saying Greek legislation had been meticulously followed. “All required permits were received and adhered to,” the German company said in an email statement cited by Reuters on Friday. “No image of the Acropolis monument was used by Adidas for advertising or other purposes.”
In a nation where the ancient past often weighs heavy, the political opposition have had a field day questioning the centre-right government’s role in the furore.
“The Acropolis, a global symbol of culture and democracy, cannot be treated as a backdrop for commercial use,” said the opposition Pasok party, accusing the government of negligence. “Serious questions arise about the role and responsibility of the culture ministry.”
The leftwing Syriza party deplored the advertisement, describing it as the “commodification of Greece’s cultural heritage”.
“The image of a sports shoe ‘stepping’ on the Acropolis, created using a drone swarm for advertising purposes, constitutes an offensive commercialisation of the core of our cultural heritage,” it said.
Management of the Acropolis, Greece’s most visited attraction, is particularly sensitive because of the acrimonious debate that has long raged over artefacts, not least the Parthenon sculptures, removed from the site.
With half of the temple’s famous frieze housed in the British Museum, Greek officials tread a fine line in the campaign to win the treasures back.
Only weeks ago, the Greek culture ministry provoked outcry when it rejected a request from the country’s leading contemporary director, the Oscar-winning Yorgos Lanthimos, to end his latest movie Bugonia on the monument.
The proposed scenes were deemed “incompatible with the symbolism … and the values the Acropolis represents”. Social media this weekend was replete with criticism from users posting: “No to Yorgos Lanthimos. Yes to Adidas. No to art, yes to money.”
