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The far-right suffered a historic blow today in Greece.
A 5-member appeals court in Athens delivered a historic ruling today, upholding the 2020 convictions against the leadership and members of the far-right Golden Dawn party, which rose to prominence during Greece’s economic crisis.
Golden Dawn had long existed on the margins of Greek politics before gaining support during the country’s debt crisis. The party entered parliament in 2012 and, at its peak, became Greece’s third-largest political force before losing all parliamentary representation in 2019.
The court found all 42 defendants guilty, matching the primary court decision that classified the former political party as a "Nazi-style" criminal organization.
This final verdict concludes years of legal proceedings that followed the 2013 murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, an event that triggered the downfall of the group’s parliamentary presence. The appeals trial itself began in June 2022 following the landmark 2020 ruling.
The judges agreed with Prosecutor Kyriaki Stefanatou, who described Golden Dawn as a "party facade" used to target migrants and political opponents.
Stefanatou argued that their ideology was the direct motive for their violence, stating, "The fact that anyone can have whatever ideology they want at home does not negate the anti-racism law and the destructive consequences of National Socialism."
She further noted that the group did not hide its actions because "the exercise of violence by Golden Dawn had to be visible." In her closing arguments, Stefanatou also described the group as a "true child of Nazi ideology."
The court reaffirmed that the party’s top officials directed the criminal entity.
Seven individuals were found guilty of directing a criminal organization:
Michaloliakos, the party’s founder and longtime leader, previously received a 13-and-a-half-year prison sentence in the 2020 trial.
Additionally, 11 former Members of Parliament were convicted for membership. While Ilias Kasidiaris and Ioannis Lagos were present in court to hear the verdict, most other former officials remain under restrictive measures or were absent.
Regarding the specific violent acts that defined the trial, the court ruled as follows:
The trial now moves into the phase of determining final sentences and considering mitigating circumstances.
Under a specific prosecutorial appeal, the leadership could see their original 13-year sentences increased to 15 years. This ruling is particularly significant for several former MPs, such as Eleni Zaroulia and Stathis Boukouras, who had remained free on bail pending this appeal. They now face the high probability of immediate imprisonment.
Outside the Athens court, more than 200 anti-fascist protesters gathered under heavy police security.
Magda Fyssas, the mother of the murdered rapper, was present in the courtroom holding a red rose. Her presence, alongside the families of other victims, demonstrated the decade-long wait for this final judicial confirmation that Golden Dawn operated as a criminal enterprise rather than a legitimate political party.
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