Greece faces new #MeToo reckoning with probe into sex trafficking ring

An alleged rape involving wealthy businessmen and well-connected figures has spurred police investigations as calls for justice for sexual assault victims grow louder, reports Moira Lavelle

A woman holds a flare as others hold placards, one of them reading ‘We are full of rage’, during a demonstration in support of victims of rape in Athens, earlier this month (AFP via Getty Images)

At the beginning of January, a 24-year-old woman in Thessaloniki, Greece, reported she had been raped by multiple men at a New Year’s Eve party in a luxury hotel.

The accusation led to a high-profile arrest, sparked investigations into an alleged sex trafficking ring spanning Greece and Cyprus, and caused a storm on social media as the Greek #MeToo movement widens with a new focus on the nation’s wealthy businessmen.

According to Greek news channel ERT, the alleged victim told police she had been drugged at the party, taken by three men to a hotel room while intoxicated, and woke up naked.