The building of the Greek National Theatre in central Athens. Image by George E. Koronaios via Wikimedia, CC0 1.0. A prominent figure of the Greek cultural establishment, Dimitris Lignadis, was arrested on February 20 on charges of rape, as Greek society learns to challenge the traditional acceptance of impunity for perpetrators of sexual abuse of women and children. The 56-year-old Greek actor and director, who also headed the country's prestigious National Theatre, was arrested in Athens on February 20, and on February 22 appeared in front of an investigator for a hearing on the details of the charge. Two lawsuits have been brought against Lignadis, with three individuals accusing him of rape. Two witnesses have already testified. Lignadis resigned from his position on February 6, citing “a toxic climate of rumours,” and has since denied all accusations. On February 21, Lignadis presented himself at police headquarters in Athens with his lawyer, inquired whether a warrant had been issued against him, then left. Later that day a warrant was issued and he was arrested. Some people have claimed his actions were based on inside knowledge about the arrest and a desire to order to avoid being labelled a fugitive suspect in the event of arrest and pre-trial detention. According to journalist Kostas Vaxevanis, for example: Ο Λιγναδης πήγε αυτοβούλως στη ΓΑΔΑ γνωρίζοντας φυσικά πως δεν υπάρχει (ακόμη) ένταλμα σύλληψης. Διασκεδάζει τις εντυπώσεις και εμφανίζει ταυτοχρόνως καλή συμπεριφορά όταν στο μέλλον αντιμετωπίσει κατηγορία πως είναι ύποπτος φυγής. Νομικά κόλπα που προβλέπουν σε φτηνές εντυπώσεις pic.twitter.com/fDRir0kwqO — Kostas.Vaxevanis (@KostasVaxevanis) February 20, 2021 Lignadis went to GADA [Police HQ] voluntarily, knowing of course that there is no warrant (yet). He both saves face and shows good behavior, when he is accused as a fugitive suspect in the future. Legal tricks that seek cheap impressions One of the first accusations of sexual abuse leveled publicly against Lignadis was published in an interview on with a young man published on February 6, in which the man claimed to have been raped by Lignadis when he was a minor. The case is statute-barred, but the man said that his goal in speaking out now was to motivate other victims to come forward. After Lignadis’ resignation on the same day, other, older accusations resurfaced. On February 18, another man claimed he was raped by Lignadis at the age of 15, and said that he had filed a lawsuit against the actor on February 8. Reports also emerged that as early as May 2012, the authorities had investigated a case of alleged sexual abuse that had possible links to a pedophile ring. Lignadis, who also taught acting, had been been expelled from another theater school in 2016, after a delegation of students asked the school's authorities to stop Lignadis from holding discussions about “sexual pursuits and experiences” in his classes. These revelations prompted several members of the theatre community to publicly denounce the culture of silence around powerful figures on the cultural scene, and to reveal that they had known about Lignadis’ abusive behaviour, either as fact or rumor, for years. Greek director Dimitris Karantzas observed that: Μεγαλώσαμε στο χώρο που όταν αναφερόμασταν στον -γνωστό σε όλους – παιδεραστή, μας κάναν σουτ με το δάχτυλο , να μην… Posted by Dimitris Karantzas on Monday, February 1, 2021 We grew up in a field, where, when we were referring to the – known to everyone – pedophile, we were “shushed” […] and when we spontaneously asked “why?”, the answers were “yes but we do not say it”, “yes but not a nostril will bleed [Greek expression meaning nothing will happen] because he has an in with people”, “yes but he came through so many trials”, “yes but he will say you're crazy” etc. […] Δεν είναι παιδεραστής, είναι παιδοβιαστης, είναι κακοποιητής ανηλίκων. Δεν υπάρχει 'έρωτας' στην σεξουαλική… Posted by Esra Dogan on Sunday, February 21, 2021 He is not a pedophile, he is a pedo-raper, he is a juvenile molester. There is no “love” in sexual abuse, there is no “philia” (friendship) in rape. Let's not legitimize sexual violence verbally. On February 19, furious netizens also uncovered an old photo on Lignadis’ Instagram account, showing him making inappropriate gestures and comments during a theatre rehearsal. Όταν η διαστροφή προβάλλεται … όταν ο θύτης διαφημίζει τα κατορθώματα του …Όταν τα θύματα είναι ανήλικα …Τότε η σιωπή κ η ´ διακριτικότητα ´ είναι απλά συνενοχή . Posted by Rena Kouvelioti on Friday, February 19, 2021 The case has ignited a firestorm of indignation and bitter recrimination both offline and online, with people accusing the Greek government of failing to follow up on complaints.