Patelis denies involvement in Fyssas’ killing
Testifying in the trial of Golden Dawn on Wednesday, Giorgos Patelis, the former head of the neo-Nazi party’s Nikaia chapter in southwest Athens, denied any involvement in the killing of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas in 2013.
Patelis is accused of informing ex Golden Dawn lawmaker Yiannis Lagos about the whereabouts of Fyssas and organizing the group that attacked the 34-year-old musician ahead of his fatal stabbing by party member Giorgos Roupakias.
“I made no one commit murder. I am really sorry about the kid’s death. I condemn what happened,” Patelis told the court.
“They threw me in prison like garbage. When Roupakias called me to tell me that he had stabbed someone, I told him: ‘it’s your problem’,” he said.
In his testimony Patelis also denied any association with Nazi ideology. Asked about images showing GD members giving the Nazi salute, Patelis said: “It is an ancient Greek greeting. Metaxas also used it,” a reference to Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas.
Plagued by financial woes and inner-party strife, Golden Dawn suffered a staggering defeat in Greece’s national election on July 7, falling short of the 3 percent threshold needed to enter the House and losing its seven-year-long parliamentary representation.
