GD trial adjourned again, to May 12, amid row over venue
The trial of Golden Dawn’s leadership and members briefly resumed on Thursday at Korydallos Prison before being adjourned until May 12 amid ongoing objections by local authorities and residents of Korydallos to the choice of venue.
GD leader Nikos Michaloliakos and virtually all the party’s MPs were absent from court again, in an apparent attempt to play down the significance of the trial.
Following the decision on Thursday to adjourn the trial, which started on April 20, for a second time, prosecution lawyers expressed their exasperation.
Local authority officials and residents, who are lobbying for a change of venue, also expressed frustration after the presiding judge, Maria Lepenioti, said the proceedings would resume in the same makeshift courtroom at Korydallos Prison next week. Lepenioti said the decision for a change of venue lies with the government. Later in the day Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos said there was no other available courtroom but that an official request by the presiding judge for a change of venue would be considered even though it would lead to additional delays.
Dozens of people joined an anti-fascist rally outside the prison on Thursday morning though the crowd was smaller than on the first day of the trial.
In a related development, a young man sustained light injuries after a group of anti-establishment supporters assaulted him, presuming him to be a Golden Dawn supporter.
