Golden Dawn attacks anti-fascist center in Piraeus injuring five

by Aggelos Skordas

Five people were injured on Sunday afternoon when Golden Dawn attacked an anti-fascist, free social center in Piraeus suburb of Keratsini. Specifically, according to eyewitnesses, the attackers, who were wearing helmets and chanting slogans in support of the extreme-right party, smashed their way into the “Favela” Free Social Centre shortly after 7pm, screaming “you are going to die” and indiscriminately hitting those gathered there for a weekly meeting using torches and iron bars.

“Today in the afternoon while we opened our centre for our weekly meeting, we were attacked by a group of Golden Dawn members with iron bars, helmets and flares”, a post on the Facebook page of the “Favela” Free Social Centre said shortly after the attack reads among others.

Among those injured is the lawyer representing the family of Pavlos Fyssas, Eleftheria Tombatzoglou, at the ongoing trial against Golden Dawn. The lawyer suffered a heavy head injury from a metallic truncheon and was transferred to hospital, where she had six stitches. One more person was taken to the hospital. Before leaving the Free Social Center the assailants smashed windows and furniture and chanted the slogan “Blood – Honor – Golden Dawn”. No arrests have been reported.

It should be noted that the Sunday’s attack was not the first against the free social center of Piraeus. “Favela” was targeted by fascists again on August 2017. Then, the extremists attempted to burn the building using an explosive device and four men (including a 17-year-old) were later arrested in relation to the attack. During yet another attack the walls of “Favela” were sprayed with swastikas, Celtic crosses, other neo-Nazi symbols and slogans.

Pavlos Fyssas, also known by his stage name Killah P, was a Greek anti-fascist rapper who was stabbed to death on the night of 17 September 2013 in the district of Keratsini by Golden Dawn member Giorgios Roupakias. The murder, that was part of a string of attacks, some deadly, triggered the prosecution of some 70 Golden Dawn MPs, party officials and supporters on a wide range of charges, including membership of a criminal organisation. The party, which is described as Nazi inspired and xenophobic is still represented in the Greek Parliament, yet two years after Fyssas was assassinated, Nikos Michalokiakos, the leader of Golden Dawn, publicly admitted his party holds “the political responsibility of the murder”.