The group of British pole dancers who sparked controversy for posing scantily-clad on a portable pole set up within the premises of the iconic Old Palace of Corfu were arrested on Saturday following a lawsuit submitted by the Municipality of Corfu and the Museum of Asian Art.
The arrest was made within the timeframe of in flagrante delicto, as defined by Greek law, on charges of violation of the archaeological law and degradation of the surrounding areas after a video of the controversial photoshoot circulated on social media.
The five women appeared before the prosecutor and were ordered to remain in custody pending their hearing on Monday.
Corfu pole holiday a regular retreat on the island
The group of women were reportedly on Corfu for a “pole dancing vacation” that has taken place on the Greek island every year during the last two weeks of May as a package vacation. International participants get the opportunity to partake in intensive pole and aerial hoop workshops as well as add to their photoshoot portfolios, according to local media.
The British vacation organizer linked to the incident provides similar training packages at several idyllic international locations and has been organizing Corfu pole vacations and yoga retreats since 2018, their social media accounts suggest. Participants have often posted photos of their time there.
British pole dancers apologize in court for Corfu Old Palace photoshoot
Greek public broadcaster ERT has reported that the arrested British pole dancers expressed their regret in court and branded their photoshoot at the Old Palace an “unfortunate choice.”
Their hearing was postponed for Monday, following a request by their lawyer, as the photographer had not been brought to justice yet. Meanwhile, the women will remain in custody.
Vice Mayor Christos Skourtis told Greek media that this is the first time the municipality has had to deal with such a case, adding that he doesn’t want to take it to extremes but neither does he want to dismiss it entirely. Better measures for safeguarding the monument need to be sought, he argued.
A jewel of history, the Old Palace of Corfu
The Old Palace of Corfu, officially known as the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, is one of Greece’s most significant neoclassical buildings. Constructed between 1819 and 1824 during British rule, it originally served as the residence of the British Lord High Commissioner and the seat of the Ionian Senate.
The design, by British architect Sir George Whitmore, combines Georgian elegance with Mediterranean grace and remains one of the few examples of British colonial architecture in Greece.
Following the union of the Ionian Islands with the Kingdom of Greece in 1864, the palace was repurposed as a royal residence. Members of the Greek royal family used the building up until World War II.
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