Dutchman, 78, hurt in Monemvasia attack

A 78-year-old Dutchman was in hospital with a broken jaw and nose on Monday after being attacked by two Greek men near his seaside home close to the resort of Monemvasia in the Peloponnese.

The pensioner, identified as Adriano van der Burg, has lived in the area since the early 1990s, sources said.

He was attacked by the two men, aged 45 and 48, while walking his dogs on the beach early on Sunday, witnesses said, noting that his assailants had asked him whether he was German.

When the 78-year-old responded negatively to their question, the pair threw him to the ground and beat him while shouting: “German or Dutch, same difference! What do you think you can do to Greece?” After beating him for several minutes, the attackers fled in a sports utility vehicle.

Spotting the license plate, the victim’s neighbors contacted police who traced the vehicle and arrested the pair. The perpetrators allegedly claimed to have been under the influence of alcohol.

Ekathimerini.com