Antifascism marches in Greece commemorate death of Pavlos Fyssas in 2013
A 12-year anniversary memorial rally for Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas, who was killed by members of the far-right Golden Dawn, had turnout of hundreds shouting slogans against fascism in Athens on Thursday.
The crowd gathered before the rally at Keratsini, a suburb of Piraeus, at the site where Fyssas was knifed and where his memorial was set up. His mother Magda and father Panos were some of the first to arrive with relatives and friends and leave flowers where he died in September 2013 aged 34.
The rally was also attended by PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) deputy Pavlos Christidis, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Sokratis Famellos, and Communist Party of Greece (KKE) General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoubas.
Participants marched through the city to Piraeus to the historic site of Kokkinia in Nikea as police carried out traffic diversions and concluded shortly before 9:00 pm.
Thessaloniki
An antifascist rally was also held in central Thessaloniki. Participants included college students, leftist organizations, and antiestsablishment groups who met at the Kamara Square. They marched through the city's central streets before returning to the square and dispersing peacefully. Four Thessaloniki Metro stations had been shut down (Venizelou, Aghias Sofias, Syntrivani, and Panepistimio), but they and traffic were restored around 8:00 pm.
Four people were brought in for questioning, one of which turned into an arrest for possession of drugs.
Protest rallies and marches were held in other Greek cities as well, such as Chania on Crete and in Patras.
This year's rally coincides with the release from jail of Golden Dawn founder and leader Nikos Michaloliakos over health reasons, a decision that has been condemned by parties and unions, demanding its revocation.
AMNA
