Greek anti-fascists mark rapper's murder with protests

By Idyli Tsakiri

ATHENS

Around a thousand Greek anti-fascists held street demonstrations in Athens on Saturday to protest the murder of a prominent rapper three years ago.

Demonstrators marched in the neighborhood where Pavlos Fyssas was stabbed to death. The mostly peaceful demonstration ended with just a few dozen people briefly clashing with Greek riot police.

Fyssas, who was also known as Killah P, died of stab wounds in a Piraeus neighborhood in September 2013. Giorgos Roupakias -- a member of the far-right Golden Dawn party -- was later charged with the killing. The murdered musician went on to become a national symbol of anti-fascism.

One protester, 24-year-old Dimitris Kalamopoulos, told Anadolu Agency he was disappointed because “not all the Golden Dawn neo-Nazis that were somehow involved in the murder of Fyssas are in jail yet”.

“Our major problem is with the government, because they still have not done anything about the Golden Dawn supporters that walk among us, in our neighborhoods, undisturbed,” he added.

Another demonstrator, Pantelis Panagiotakopoulos, 28, said Saturday’s protest was extremely relevant: “It is very important to be here in order to destroy Golden Dawn in Greece and also send a message to Europe.”

Even though various Golden Dawn members have been charged with murder, aggravated battery and countless other offences, the party remains the third-biggest in parliament as Greeks react to the huge influx of migrants and refugees in the country.