Athens Appeals Court in Greece today, i.e., Wednesday, October 7, 2020 observed that the leaders of Greece’s neo-Nazi group – Golden Dawn are guilty of running a criminal organisation, under the name of a political party and have been systematically attacking migrants and leftists.
Giorgos Roupakias, a Golden Dawn member, has been given life sentence for murdering the 34 years old anti-fascist rapper – Pavlos Fyssas. He was a Greek musician and rapper. He was murdered on September 18, 2013 by Giorgos Roupakias. 15 other members have also been convicted of conspiring for murder.
The leader of the group – Nikos Michaloliakos along with 6 colleagues has been convicted of heading the criminal group. He always denied having any knowledge of the Pavlos Fyssas’s murder. But when police raided his home in 2013, they found weapons and ammunition.
The Court observed that attempted murder, assault and possession of weapons were not the actions of individuals operating on their own initiative. Instead they were directly planned and ordered by a party leadership that employed violence to eradicate perceived enemies.
The decision studied the data collected from the cell phones and laptops of those arrested. This include photos of Golden Dawn recruits at training camps posing with assault weapons and giving Nazi-type salutes.
Breaking down after Court’s verdict, Pavlos Fyssas’s mother – Magda, who fought tirelessly for justice to be delivered, said, “Pavlos did it. He did it. My son!”
Speaking on the occasion, the Head of Amnesty International, a non-Governmental group focussing on human rights – Nils Muiznieks said, “There is clear and unequivocal message in this landmark case, that hate crimes will no longer be tolerated, [the decision] can also have a significant impact on preventing racist violence in future.”
The Golden Dawn is a far-right criminal organisation and political party in Greece, which is commonly described as neo-Nazi and fascist. They have also made use of alleged Nazi symbolism and have praised figures of Nazi Germany in the past. In 1980, Nikolaos Michaloliakos founded the group in mid 1980s. He first published a right-wing, pro-military junta journal.
The trial which lasted for more than 5 years, saw hundreds of thousands of people gathered outside the court. Demanding long-term jail to the culprits, they held banners with messages, “Fear will not win” and “Nazis in prison.” More than 2,000 policemen were deployed outside court who had to resort to tear gas to control the crowd.
