10,000 mark neo-Nazi killing of Greek rapper
Athens (AFP) - Around 10,000 people protested in Greece on Thursday to mark a year since the killing of an anti-fascist rapper by neo-Nazi Golden Dawn militants, which sparked a crackdown on the party.
In the Athens suburb of Keratsini where Pavlos Fyssas was killed, police used tear gas to disperse protesters who vandalised the window of a mobile phone store.
Police said around 3,500 had gathered in that suburb, and another 6,000 in the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Hours earlier, Fyassas's family gathered alongside dozens of students for the unveiling of a plaque at the spot where the killing took place.
"We are all here to stop fascism," his father told the crowd.
Golden Dawn member Jorgos Rupakias stabbed 34-year-old Fyssas -- known for his anti-fascist music -- in the street on the night of September 17-18, 2013.
The murder shocked the nation and forced authorities to crack down on Golden Dawn after years of mounting concern about the party's actions.
Members of the fiercely anti-immigrant party were known to patrol the streets, carrying out attacks on foreigners, but had rarely faced action from the authorities.
The party's 18 lawmakers were progressively indicted on charges of belonging to a criminal organisation and several were placed in pre-trial detention, including Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos.
Investigating magistrates said the group had committed dozens of criminal acts dating to 1987, including at least two murders in the previous two years.
A total of 78 people, including several police officers, are set to go on trial by the end of the year.
The Kathimerini newspaper reported on Thursday that a recent investigation had uncovered close ties between Golden Dawn and members of the Athens police.
Founded in the 1980s, the openly xenophobic and anti-Semitic Golden Dawn was for years a semi-clandestine group on the fringes of Greek politics.
But in 2012 the party tapped into widespread anger over immigration and austerity reforms in the debt-ridden country to take 18 seats in parliament.
