Detained former Golden Dawn MP to attend municipal ceremony
Ilias Kasidiaris, the jailed former vice-president of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group, plans to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new municipal administration next week.
Ilias Kasidiaris, the jailed former vice-president of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group, is scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new municipal administration next week, Kathimerini newspaper reported. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at the Kypseli Municipal Market in the centre of Athens.
Kasidiaris was imprisoned in October 2020, when he was sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison for leading a criminal organisation.
Despite his detention, Kasidiaris ran for mayor of Athens in local elections in October 2023 and won a seat on the city council.
His candidature had been approved by the court, overcoming attempts to prevent his participation in the electoral process.
It was reported that Kasidiaris' request for official permission from Domokos Prison to attend the ceremony was accepted.
But given his current detention, he is expected to be suspended from office after he is sworn in under the regulation.
On the day of the ceremony, anti-fascist groups are expected to organise a protest in front of the Municipal Market.
Kasidiaris was also elected as a municipal councillor in 2014 while in detention.