Wednesday 7th October
2020 is going to be a historic day for the world's anti-fascist
movement. On that day, at 11 am local hour, the Athens Criminal Appeals
Court is going to announce the verdict in the trial of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party – a trial which began in March 2015.
With its ruling the court is called on to decide whether the accused (a total of 69 defendants, including 18 ex-Parliament members) are guilty or not guilty of forming a criminal organization. Based on the evidence presented in the court it is beyond doubt that Golden Dawn – which was elected to the Greek and EU Parliaments in three separate elections - has been a criminal organization that had the legal form of a party enjoying, as a result of that, enhanced constitutional protection.
With its ruling the court is called on to decide whether the accused (a total of 69 defendants, including 18 ex-Parliament members) are guilty or not guilty of forming a criminal organization. Based on the evidence presented in the court it is beyond doubt that Golden Dawn – which was elected to the Greek and EU Parliaments in three separate elections - has been a criminal organization that had the legal form of a party enjoying, as a result of that, enhanced constitutional protection.
“The time has come, after 5.5 years of trial, that the desire of every democratic person, every ordinary man, every young man and woman and, obviously, of every victim of Nazi violence and the family of Pavlos Fyssas will come true: That the Nazi-criminals of Golden Dawn will be imprisoned under the maximum sentences”, stresses Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in his article published in the weekend edition of “Efimerida ton Syntakton”.
The whole article reads:
“The evidence that came to light during the trial is overwhelming about how Golden Dawn were organizing and directing criminal acts. It has been proved that they are criminals because they are fascists!
The KKE, KNE, the class-oriented labor movement have put their own stamp on the struggle for the exposing of Golden Dawn's character, the isolation of all kinds of fascists in workplaces, education centers, in working class neighborhoods.
We are not complacent. While the world were shouting about Golden Dawn and its criminal activity, more than 7 years had to pass since Pavlos Fyssas' murder, but also 5.5 years for the completion of the trial and not just because of the tactics and delays of the Nazis' defense.
The snake's egg was hatched not only in the creepy racist pogroms, in the attacks against communists, anti-fascists, immigrants and others, but also due to the tolerance of sections of the state apparatus and even governments towards the fascists. The fascists used reactionary “black” slogans such as “parties out, trade unions out”.
In fact, they undertook to carry them out with organized murderous attacks, as evidenced by the attack on communist metalworkers trade unionists in Perama.
We are not complacent. Because the best hotbed of Nazi organizations is anti-communism and the two-extremes theory which is an official policy of the EU. Because especially in times like the one we are going through, when the impasses of the current system are clearly revealed, such watchdogs will be used more and more.
The workers' popular movement, the youth struggles, the collective militant action everywhere is what can give the Nazi criminals what they deserve: For the moment, life imprisonment and, for those who are in disguise, the shame of the people. And tomorrow, a dark corner in the museum of social history alongside with the system that gave birth to them."
On Wednesday 7th
October, trade unions, anti-fascist organizations and students
associations organize broad mobilizations in Athens, Thessaloniki and
other Greek cities in order to make sure than the people's voice is
well-heared: “They aren't innocent – Nazis in prison!”.
