"Greek police are investigating the stabbing death of a 34-year-old hip-hop artist that leftist groups said was killed by a gang of neo-Nazi Golden Dawn members who critics say travel in packs to assault immigrants and their perceived foes.
There are contradicting reports as to what happened to lead to the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, an anti-fascist who died early on Sept. 18 after a confrontation said to have been started by an argument at a cafe over a soccer match between Olympiakos and Paris St. Germain.
Police said they had arrested a 45-year-old Golden Dawn member for the killing but didn’t reveal his name. They raided Golden Dawn’s offices later in the morning and said the suspect confessed to the killing and being a member of the neo-Nazis.
Golden Dawn immediately denied any connection, but the incident inflamed tension just as a 48-hour general strike was underway by labor unions angry over austerity measures and the coming of scores of thousands of public workers.
Police said the suspect left the cafe but returned and attacked the victim with a gang, overwhelming him.
It was reported he told them the name of his attacker before losing consciousness while being taken to the hospital where he died shortly thereafter. Fyssas had been part of the Greek hip-hop scene since 1997 and performed under the name Killah P.
Speaking on SKAI radio, Keratsini Mayor Loukas Tzannis also said the death was started by an altercation at the cafe and that witnesses identified the gang as Golden Dawn members. Tzannis also said that Fyssas’s attackers were members of the far right.
The anti-capitalist party ANTARSYA and the Communist Party condemned the incident, blaming Golden Dawn for the victim’s death and claiming that Fyssas was targeted because of his anti-fascists activity.
Petros Constantinou, a spokesman for ANTARSYA, alleged that there had been no quarreling prior to the incident, but that a group of anti-fascists were attacked by about 40 members of Golden Dawn outside the cafe.
He also claimed on SKAI radio that the attack occurred in the presence of Dias police units who watched and did nothing. Golden Dawn is believed to have links to the police and with many sympathizers in law enforcement.
Golden Dawn MP Ilias Kasidiaris, whose parliamentary immunity has been stripped so he can be tried on criminal charges, denied his party’s involvement in the incident and said that the party would respond with lawsuits. He told SKAI that there were no political motives behind the attack and that opponents were unjustly accusing the party of creating “a climate of polarization and war”."
In my opinion, this is unacceptable if true. Golden Dawn, known for her fascist and far-right policies has always been the center of attention with many of her actions, but political murder? This takes the whole thing on a new level and I hope the greek police and people wont tolerate this and see the true face of this political party.
So NSG, what is your opinion?
