In the EU, how much protection do I have if I report an assault on myself by my department head? I had a very ugly incident at my corrupt institute (I live in E. EU). In short, I was assaulted by one of the department's heads during my own group meeting on my own grant for daring to "back talk" after he had abusively terminated that meeting. Him, and my own department's head had sabotaged my projects by sidetracking the people working on them, threatening them, and, lately, by denying access to shared research facilities which they don't really use.

As this behavior has been tolerated by the director (who is the ultimate god there), I expect things only to get worse. I'm seriously considering whistleblowing as my only option, as my reports of the incidents are merely CYA actions since they've gone unnoticed so far.

I might be out on my ass by next week for the "lese-majeste" of this week. If I do whistleblow, is there a way within EU to protect myself and my research group? I doubt I'll get any understanding in my own country.

Update: I'm not fired, they just found a nice and sneaky way to dissolve my research group. Funnily enough, no one is on my side, including the people who witnessed the incident.
If the matter has escalated to a physical assault then you have the option to contact the police.  For lesser issues concerning corruption or maladministration of public resources, you should consider searching for the closest equivalent of an ombudsman for your university sector.  In public industries with an ombudsman it is usual to be able to make a report of maladministration or corruption, and there are protections for whistle-blowers who file reports on these matters.  Specific rules vary according to the laws of the country and the specific industry ombudsman, so you should first check to find the appropriate ombudsman and check the protections for whistle-blowers that apply in your case.  If you have a lot invested it is probably also a good idea to speak to a lawyer to get advice on the available reporting mechanisms and legal protections.