<nettime> Political violence in Greece escalates.

[nettime's gloomy prospector <nettime@kein.org>]

Leftist musician (34) dies after being stabbed by neonazis

Hip-hopper Pavlos Fyssas attacked by men in black sweatshirts and combat 
trousers

Updated At: 18:26 Wednesday 18 September 2013

http://www.enetenglish.gr/?i=news.en.home&id=1484

Victim dies in hospital after being stabbed three times in the chest 
outside a café in Amfiali, a district of Piraeus, shortly after midnight 
by a group of neonazis dressed in black and camouflage uniforms

A 45-year-old man is scheduled to appear before a prosecutor at 5pm on 
Wednesday in relation to the fatal stabbing of Pavlos Fyssas, a 
34-year-old leftest hip-hopper, in Piraeus.

Police said the suspect, who was arrested in the vicinity of the crime, 
has admitted during questioning to stabbing the victim twice before 
discarding the weapon near his car.

The suspect also confirmed that he is a member of the neonazi Golden 
Dawn party, which has 18 MPs in the 300-seater parliament.

Fyssas died in the early hours of Wednesday morning after he was 
attacked by neonazis and subsequently stabbed in Piraeus.

"My doctor has told me that this was a professional hit," the victim's 
father, a former member of the Piraeus metalworkers union, said on 
Wednesday.

The incident happened outside a café at 60 Panayi Tsaldari Avenue in 
Amfiali, in the Keratsini district, when he was attacked after midnight 
by a group of ten neonazis dressed in black and camouflage uniforms.

He was taken to Tzanio hospital, where he died shortly afterwards.

Before he died, he managed to identify the perpetrator and his 
accomplices, according to reports.

Hip-hop

Fyssas was a hip-hop performer who went by the stage name of Killah P. 
He was involved in organising concerts against fascism and other social 
activities in the area where he lived.

The leftwing Anticapitalist Left Front (Antarysa) party said he was a 
member.

Raids

Following the news of the fatal stabbing, police carried out a raid on 
Golden Dawn's central offices on Mesogion Avenue.

On a separate raid on the suspect's home, police found a taser.

The victim's wife also said that she had removed political literature 
and a collapsible baton from the house after the incident. The police 
said they are now trying to locate that material.

Attack

At the time of the attack, Fyssas was with his partner and two friends 
at the cafe.

Shortly after midnight, a group of young men wearing black sweatshirts 
and camouflage trousers confronted the group in the café and a scuffle 
ensued.

Fyssas and his three friends initially managed to escape their 
attackers, but as they ran down the street, a car, which crossed lanes, 
blocked their way.

The driver got off the car and stabbed the 34 year old at least three 
times on the footpath.

The perpetrator then fled on foot with his accomplices.

During the night, about 200 antifascists gathered at the murder scene. 
There were also gatherings of antifascists in Exarchia, in central 
Athens, and in Thessaloniki.

Antifascists will assemble on Wednesday at 5pm at Zarden square in 
Keratsini, near where Fyssas was stabbed.

Friends of the victim have been paying tribute to him on his Facebook page.

Political reactions

The fatal stabbing has generated public revulsion and political 
condemnation across the ideological spectrum.

"Justice will perform its duty immediately and totally", government 
spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said, calling called on all the political 
powers to "erect a barricade against the vicious circle of tension and 
violence".

Kedikoglou also claimed that the government "was the first to condemn 
Golden Dawn's raw violence. We were the first to call them neonazis".

Main opposition Syriza said the stabbing represented "the apex of the 
criminal action of the extreme-right neonazis of Golden Dawn in our 
country", calling for the exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.

In a statemment, Pasok called Golden Dawn "a criminal organisation".

Independent Greeks called for the establishment of "a patriotic 
democratic front against the black alliance" and warned that as long 
certain politicians and journalists touted Golden Dawn as a possible 
future coalition partner for pro-memorandum parties "they will keep 
revealing their real role".

Democratic Left called for Golden Dawn to be "institutionally 
asphyxiated" and said that the murder proved the importance of the 
party's initiative to pass a new antiracist law.

"It was expected that Golden Dawn's rhetoric of hate and the beatings 
and thuggery by its officers and members would soon lead to a climate of 
political assassination," it said.

The Communist Party (KKE) said: "Golden Dawn's murderous and criminal 
activity aims to terrify workers and the youth. It has become emboldened 
by the multiple support supplied to it by the corrupt capitalist system 
and the large economic interests that have borne it and nourish it in 
order to attack those who are struggling and protesting and to attack 
the labour and popular movement."

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights Nils Mui?nieks 
tweeted that the reaction to the "heinous murder" was a positive step in 
combatting hate crimes:

     Political & police reaction to the heinous murder of #PavlosFyssas 
is a positive step to curb #hatecrimes in #Greece

     ? Commissioner for HR (@CommissionerHR) September 18, 2013


For its part, Golden Dawn (below) said it condemned the killing and 
explicitly denied its involvement in the incident, saying that "those 
who are taking advantage of a tragic event to issue political 
statements, garner votes and divide Greek society are wretched and vile".



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