A donkey handler on Santorini violently attacked a female PETA activist during a protest against the use of donkeys to carry tourists up the island's steep Karavolades steps. Footage shows the man striking the woman in the face and pushing her against a wall as she tried to walk away, causing her to fall and scream in distress while fellow activists shouted for him to stop. The incident has drawn attention to long-running tensions between local donkey operators and animal welfare campaigners over the treatment of the animals on the popular tourist island.

PETA Germany said the group of women had been demonstrating on Friday morning to highlight the exploitation of donkeys as "tourist taxis" and had planned to show locals an animal-friendly alternative using robotic exoskeleton legs. According to the organisation, the handlers destroyed protest signs, tried to stop filming, grabbed and insulted the activists, and forced them down the steps before one man punched a woman in the face; PETA said it would file criminal charges and appealed for witnesses. The donkeys make repeated trips up more than 500 cobbled steps from the port of Fira in hot conditions, a practice long criticised over spinal injuries, saddle sores and exhaustion, with demand persisting despite a cable car alternative as the island attracts up to 17,000 cruise ship visitors daily.