ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The area around Greece's most treasured classical monument has become the focus of protests by angry workers.
Two workers spent hours Thursday atop the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis, Ekathimerini reported. They held up a large black banner with the message "No to layoffs".
The two protesters were contract employees who want permanent jobs with the Culture Ministry.
The Acropolis, the large rock looming over Athens, is the site of the Parthenon, the temple to the city's guardian goddess, Athena.
The two protesters left their perch in the afternoon when a prosecutor showed up.
A ministry statement accused the workers of a "total lack of respect for history" and said their climb might have harmed the Propylaea.
"The marbles on their own are nothing. It is people that showcase them. Without them, this monument cannot operate," said Nikos Hasomeris, the head of the contract workers union.
There was also a demonstration at the foot of the Acropolis.
UPI
