Security footage acquired by the Dialogos media outlet has captured the moment two assailants targeted the residence of artist George Gavriel on Thursday.
The video shows the suspects approaching the Kokkinotrimithia home at approximately 17:30 on Thursday. The footage depicts the attackers setting and detonating two firecrackers while the painter was inside with his wife and children.
While the attack caused no physical injuries, it has ignited a debate over censorship and intimidation.
It follows a rapid escalation of hostility toward Gavriel and the owner of the Blue Iris Gallery in Paphos, where his exhibition, Antisystemic Art, was abruptly cancelled on Sunday. The gallery owner reportedly received multiple death threats and warnings that his property would be destroyed unless the works—which depict religious and political figures in provocative contexts—were removed.
Political tension has surrounded Gavriel for years, but reached a boiling point this week after Efthymios Diplaros, the Deputy President of DISY, shared a collage of Gavriel’s work on social media, labelling it “crude blasphemy.” The artist has since accused Diplaros of spreading “fake news” by creating a doctored image to incite public anger, while the far-right ELAM party formally requested that the Police Chief initiate criminal proceedings against the painter for “insulting the Orthodox faith.”
A ‘dangerous’ assault on democratic norms
The Movement of Ecologists – Citizens’ Cooperation issued an announcement on Friday terming the attack an act of “terrorism” aimed at silencing artistic expression.
The Movement of Ecologists noted that while Gavriel’s art is intentionally “provocative” and designed to “disturb,” such reactions have no place in a democracy. The party argued that the use of explosives—regardless of their yield—represents a dangerous shift from public debate to physical violence.
“There is a clear distinction between disagreement—even intense or harsh criticism—and the targeting of individuals through acts of intimidation and terrorism,” the party stated. They further asserted that Gavriel’s right to provoke through his work does not grant anyone the authority to “take the law into their own hands” or react in ways that “instil fear and terror.”
The Ecologists have called on authorities to investigate the incident immediately and in depth to ensure such acts are not tolerated or repeated.
Police have implemented “preventative measures,” including increased patrols around the artist’s residence.