Just a few days after the shocking incident that unfolded in the Old Town of Rhodes, when an unknown young man threw a homeless person into the fountain at Hippocrates Square, the victim himself speaks to “Rodiaki” newspaper, describing in detail the appalling experience he endured that day. The man claims that someone put approximately €160 in his pockets as a form of compensation, while telling him that the perpetrator was a foreigner.
Read: Shock in Rhodes: Young man throws homeless person into fountain (Video)
What the homeless victim of the Rhodes fountain attack reveals
According to his account, someone approached him claiming to be a security guard and put approximately €160 (in crisp 20-euro bills) into his pockets, allegedly to “compensate” him. The incident occurred just days after the video went viral, causing intense reactions and outrage across the country, and following orders from the Rhodes public prosecutor’s office to launch an investigation.
He also maintains that the incident didn’t happen a month ago, but just a few days prior. In his statements, the homeless man, still visibly shocked, reveals everything he experienced that day and emphasizes that the person who gave him the money told him the perpetrator was a foreigner. The man, named Andreas, notes that he provided all the information he knew to the people who approached him and identified themselves as police officers, and now the case must be clarified as quickly as possible.
Timeline of the Rhodes incident
According to rodiaki.gr, as shown in the video that circulated online, an unknown man throws a homeless person into the fountain in Rhodes’ Old Town while the victim was sitting unsuspectingly, collecting coins to buy a sandwich, as he does every day. The video that went viral sparked fierce reactions in the local and broader community, not only due to the young man’s actions, but also because some bystanders watched the incident with apathy, while others laughed.
According to rodiaki.gr sources, when questioned, the homeless man is unable to provide clear information about what happened and who did it. Investigations are in full swing and it’s estimated to be a matter of time before the perpetrator of this despicable act is identified – who according to sources is a Rhodes resident and not a tourist – as well as those who were filming and laughing.
However, the incident has opened a broader public dialogue about tolerance toward violence against the vulnerable, social apathy, and the role of social media as a space not only for “exposing” acts of violence but sometimes encouraging them. In any case, the obligation of the State and society as a whole is not limited to documenting incidents, but to creating a framework of responsibility, prevention, and human sensitivity. And this is perhaps the most glaring absence recorded in this video, rather than the absence of authorities for criminal punishment of the perpetrator of a crime that is not prosecuted automatically.
