Some of the arrested leaders of Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn appeared in court on Tuesday supported outside by dozens of protesters chanting Nazi slogans.
The preliminary hearing reviewed the allegations against party spokesman Ilias Kassidiaris, and MPs Ilias Panagiotaros, Yiannis Lagos and Nikos Mihos, who were among 22 members rounded up in a police operation targeting the group following the fatal stabbing of a Greek anti-fascist rap singer on September 17. Nikos Michaloliakos, the party’s leader, is to appear in court for his deposition on Wednesday.
Panagiotaros raised his handcuffed fists in the air and proclaimed his innocence, shouting: “This fairy tale has no end!” The court magistrate will decide if the suspects will be kept in detention pending trial. The killing of Pavlos Fyssas – who bled to death after being stabbed twice in the heart and chest in what prosecutors said was a premeditated attack – has prompted protests across Greece, a shake-up of the police and a broad investigation of the party.
