The shocking incident that took place just days ago on the Greek island of Paros has once again made headlines, as the 71-year-old car rental employee who was brutally beaten by a taxi driver spoke out about the violent confrontation. The altercation erupted at a taxi rank in Naoussa, after a heated dispute between the two men escalated into a physical attack. Speaking on Monday morning (17/08), Giorgos Sterkeman appeared on “Koinonia Ora Mega,” recounting how everything began when two female customers of his car rental company arrived at the spot to return a scooter.
Read also: Paros: “He could have killed me” — Car rental employee describes brutal taxi driver attack (Video)
According to the 71-year-old, the taxi driver shoved one of the women, prompting him to step in and push the driver away. The situation quickly escalated and, as he alleges, the driver then turned on him. Mr. Sterkeman also clarified that a prior agreement had been reached between the car rental companies, taxi drivers, and the local municipality, allowing brief stops of a few minutes at that specific location for vehicle drop-offs and pick-ups.
Paros attack: What the 71-year-old victim revealed about the taxi driver
“Before he started fighting with me, there were two customers who had brought back the scooter to return it. The taxi drivers put up that chain to stop tourists from parking there. We had an agreement with them, with the taxi association board, and with the municipality of Paros — that we could drop off and pick up vehicles there for five to ten minutes,” the 71-year-old explained.
He then described the moment he witnessed the taxi driver shoving the mother of one of the tourists. “Right at that moment when the women brought back the scooter, one of them came into the office to tell me she had returned it. As we were walking down together, I saw the Belgian woman — her mother — and he was pushing her,” he continued.
“This man had a problem”
Responding to the taxi driver’s claims that he had provoked him, the 71-year-old fired back: “This man had a problem. Even if no one had bothered him, he still would have caused trouble. He was the one hurling insults. We had clashed before over the same thing, because he thought the entire parking area — and all of Naoussa, for that matter — belonged to him. This man had already picked fights with others, at Paros airport and at the port too.”
“I will see this through to the end”
It should be noted that following the incident, the taxi driver was fired from his job. According to the victim, the driver subsequently contacted him, asking him to withdraw his complaint and let the matter drop. “I will see this through to the end. There is no way I am letting someone like that work in tourism again — he is far too dangerous. He came to me apologizing like a drowned rat, asking me to drop the charges and leave it at that. I told him no. First, he needs to apologize to all of Paros on television. The other taxi drivers are not to blame — he alone is responsible for this. I’m getting calls from abroad with people asking me if it’s dangerous to come to Paros,” the 71-year-old concluded.
