NEWS

Political motives suspected in fatal stabbing of leftist rapper in Athens as member of far right arrested

Police arrested a 45-year-old man with links to the extreme right after an argument that started over a soccer match on Tuesday night led to a 34-year-old man, known to be a leftist, being stabbed to death in the southern Athens neighborhood of Amfiali.

According to police, an argument broke out at a cafeteria between the two men over the Olympiakos vs Paris St Germain Champions League match. The 45-year-old left but then attacked the victim, with the help of about 15 others, as the 34-year-old left the cafe.

Reports suggest that the victim told police the name of his attacker shortly before he lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital. The 34-year-old, identified as Pavlos Fyssas, died shortly after arriving at Tzanneio Hospital.

Fyssas had been part of the Greek hip-hop scene since 1997 and performed under the name Killah P.

Speaking on Skai radio on Wednesday Keratsini Mayor Loukas Tzannis said the victim had been involved in a heated discussion at the cafeteria and on his way out of the cafe was ambushed by a group of 15, who according to witnesses were members of extreme-right Golden Dawn.

Tzannis, claimed that Fyssas’s attackers were members of the far right. The 45-year-old suspected attacker was arrested near the scene of the stabbing.

Anti-capitalist party ANTARSYA and the Communist Party condemned the incident, blaming Golden Dawn for the victim’s death and claiming that Fyssas was targeted because of his anti-fascists activity.

Petros Constantinou, a spokesman for ANTARSYA, alleged that there had been no quarreling prior to the incident, but that a group of antifascists were attacked by about 40 members of Golden Dawn outside the cafe. He also claimed on Skai radio that the attack occurred in the presence of Dias police units.

Responding to the allegations, Golden Dawn MP Ilias Kasidiaris denied his party’s involvement in the incident and said that the party would respond with lawsuits.

He told Skai radio claimed that there were no political motives behind the attack and that opponents were unjustly accusing the party of creating “a climate of polarization and war”.

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