Tensions high as leftist murdered by Golden Dawn member is buried [UPDATE]
Amid rising tensions following his murder by a member of the neofascist Golden Dawn, the 34-year-old hip hop artist Pavlos Fyssas was to be buried at the cemetery of Schisto, west of Athens, on Thursday at 11 a.m.
Giorgos Roupakios, the 45-year-old charged with Fyssas’ murder, is to defend himself before an investigating magistrate at 9 a.m. on Saturday. On Wednesday night, he faced a Piraeus prosecutor and requested three days to prepare his defense.
According to sources, the police requested access to the suspect’s telephone records in order to check the calls he made and received on Tuesday night when Fyssas was stabbed to death in the neighborhood of Amfiali, southern Athens.
On Thursday, the suspect’s wife and cousin as well as the secretary of the Piraeus office of Golden Dawn were expected to face a prosecutor. The wife and cousin face charges of making a false statement after allegedly claiming to have thrown away an extendable truncheon and Golden Dawn pamphlets that had been in the couple’s home before the truncheon was discovered in a raid on GD’s Piraeus office.
A 27-year-old man believed to have worked as a chauffeur for Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos was also expected to face a prosecutor on Thursday following his arrest the night before after officers found an airgun and ammunition as well as a switchblade and two large flares in his car.
According to a friend of Roupakios’ quoted by To Vima, the latter was on Golden Dawn’s payroll as were members of his family. He is alleged to have been working in GD’s Piraeus office canteen while his wife reportedly worked as a cleaner. His daughter is also alleged to have worked for GD while all family members reportedly participated in the party’s “Greeks only” food handouts.
Fyssas’ murder fuelled vehement protests in Keratsini, Patra, Thessaloniki and Irakleio on Thursday night and led to the arrest of 34 people following 130 detentions.
Police said a group of demonstrators attacked a unit of officers outside their precint in Keratsini. Those arrested in connection with the protests were to face a prosecutor on Thursday
