Nazis dealt major blow in Greece

Concluding a five year-long trial, a Greek court ruled today that the fascist outfit Golden Dawn was operating as a criminal organization and its leaders were therefore guilty of functioning as organized crime bosses. This could be a fatal blow to what was until recently perhaps the most institutionally powerful openly Nazi organization in the world. Until last year they had 18 members in the Greek parliament, and at their height opinion polls showed that one-in-ten Greeks intended to vote for Golden Dawn. There were several components of the marathon legal battle. The central incident was the brutal murder of Pavlos Fyssas, an anti-fascist rapper who was stabbed to death by Golden Dawn members in 2013. The attempted murder of an immigrant worker in 2012 and a violent assault targeting communist labor organizers in 2013 were also under consideration in the proceedings. The court found that this type of violent, criminal activity was directed from the top leadership of Golden Dawn. They could now face anywhere between 5 and 15 year prison sentences. The court’s ruling after an excruciatingly long wait is a victory for the mass anti-fascist movement in Greece that has deep roots in the country’s working class. Tens of thousands rallied outside the courthouse in Athens as well as the second largest city Thessaloniki on the day of the decision. Establishment politicians in Greece cynically tried to portray the ruling as a victory for the status quo. Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said for instance, “Today, democracy and our national and European values have been vindicated.” But it was Samaras himself, politicians like him and the European Union that created the conditions that led to the rise of Golden Dawn in the first place. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/nazis-dealt-major-blow-in-greece/