Two years after Fyssas murder, leftist groups and unions to protest
Two years after the murder of leftist rapper Pavlos Fyssas by a self-proclaimed support of anti-fascist Golden Dawn, members of leftist groups and trade unions, who have also been targeted by GD, were to stage protests on Friday.
The protests are to begin at 6 p.m. in Keratsini, the gritty suburb near Piraeus, where Fyssas was stabbed to death by Giorgos Roupakias, with crowds set to gather at a monument to Fyssas.
"It is our duty not to allow the fascist ideology to poison the souls of young people, not to let there be another victim of racism, irrespective of sex, religion, color or political allegiance," the mayor of Keratsini, Christos Vrettakos, said in a statement ahead of the rally.
The rally came a day after GD leader Nikos Michaloliakos declared that his party "assumes political responsibility" for the murder of Fyssas but not criminal blame. He added, however, that an entire party cannot be blamed for the actions of one supporter, referring to Roupakis.
Political parties accused him of seeking to win votes ahead of Sunday's elections while prosecution lawyers defending alleged victims of GD members and supporters at a trial that resumes in November said new charges could be brought in the wake of Michaloliakos' comments.
