Attacked on Crete because I'm a woman

I used to be an extremely tolerant person… before I started travelling and spending more than holiday time in various countries.

Today, I wanted to share some nice photos from my weekend nature discoveries on Crete but instead I'd like to tell you about how women are treated here.

I bet, when you think of Greece, you see beautiful beaches, clear blue sea, white houses with blue windows...

Yes, nature is beautiful here, but many people aren’t. Trust me when I say: “If you’ve lived here as a man, you’ve no idea what I’m talking about.”.

Attacked for not acting like a woman "should"

Yesterday, I had a “pleasure” of being attacked by a local “man”. Why? His reason was because I was taking photos of the “private property” which were mountains and goats. But his rage came from me being a woman who pays no attention to intelligent attempts to what was intended as to “start a conversation”.?

I don’t care for whistles and “Heys” thrown my way, because no intelligent being should. Unfortunately, when you find yourself in an undeveloped country, where people respond mostly to violence and money, where xenophobia and lack of education thrive (my attacker is not the only example), you may get into a threatening situation by just being a woman.?

This “person” attacked me physically and verbally by stating that what I understood from his very vivid demonstration and scarce English: “Where is your husband?”... “If you don’t have a cock, you are nothing!” - that’s a short version.

Keep calm if you can't hit

Oh, I’ve had similar situations since I was in kindergarten, but then it was much easier to kick ass. Now, having a redneck who’s most probably stronger than me because of the daily labours, I tend to avoid physical confrontation unless it comes to self defence and I’ve no choice.

Also, being a person who doesn’t run and cares enough to stand for my rights, I have a better chance of getting hit in the face by a jumping up and down blindly raging “hooman”. But I kept my calm and avoided reacting to his name-calling and verbal abuse for being a woman and daring to not listen to his demands and not being scared of his threats.

To be honest, I was scared, but I was disgusted and pissed off much more by having to deal with THAT thing in the first place for no reason! Also I felt a slight regret for not being able to firmly respond in his “language” which was violence.?

Woman = prey?

I’ve always been a pacifist, but my many encounters with such behaviour proved that those “people” do not understand reason. Talking to them is a waste of air. In their mind me being a woman puts me automatically in an “available for a threat” and “has to obey me” position. If I were a guy, this attacker most probably wouldn’t even care to call on me. But being a weak and pitiful male he sought to prove himself by showing his strength advantage over a woman.

I think, if it wasn’t for this piece of flesh companion, who also got out of the car and tried (without much enthusiasm) to separate the attacker from me, it wouldn’t end without a scratch.

When violence is an answer

Every time I find myself in a similar situation, I think that violence IS an answer here. Why? Because men who don't have the mental ability to understand spoken word and reason cannot understand and learn respect. What they know and understand is fear and fear only. Fear is a fundamental tool to control most beings. Unfortunately.?

Therefore, on one hand, women should learn how to defend themselves, how to fight if absolutely necessary, for their respect and life. On the other hand, in situations like this, the attacker MUST be punished before he or she will harm someone “for real”. Punished severely by law.

Act, don't cave

I did take a video of this guy with his numberplates and I’ve contacted the Polish consulate as well as I’m going to file the official complaint in the local police office (which should be done ALWAYS, even if it’s such a corrupted country as Greece). The problem is, until you get hurt or killed, no one does anything to prevent it. Therefore, dear women, please be careful but also do your best to stand for yourself. Get prepared to defend yourself in the most legal way possible, unless other necessary. Because that is the way to teach men like my attacker to at least consider the possibility of you responding adequately, like men could.

Teach your daughters to fight, send them to fight classes, make them strong physically and mentally. That is the way to stand for yourself. Because when the authorities have a “basis to act on it” it is already too late for you most of the time.