Thousands march in Greece to mark 13 years since Pavlos Fyssas murder
Demonstrators gathered in Keratsini and across Greece on 18 September 2026 to commemorate anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas, days after convicted Golden Dawn leader Ilias Kasidiaris was freed from prison.
Memorial gathering in Keratsini
Crowds gathered on Thursday and Friday in Keratsini to mark 13 years since the murder of anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas. Memorial events began on Thursday with a concert at the Lipasmata venue before demonstrators assembled at the monument on Pavlos Fyssas Street on Friday afternoon. Shortly after 17:30, his mother, Magda Fyssa, arrived at the monument carrying a red rose, accompanied by relatives, friends, and union members. The gathering preceded a scheduled march through local streets, organized by student assemblies, labor unions, and anti-fascist groups.
I met my son again at 3 in the morning in the morgue of Nikaia General Hospital. Many people around me, but no one spoke to me. A little later I saw his lifeless body. I tried to warm him up. I wanted us to leave there. I could not be parted from him. Three stab wounds. I saw the wounds to the lung and heart.
Security measures and regional protests
Greek police ordered extensive security and transit measures across the Athens metropolitan area for Friday afternoon. The Hellenic Police instructed transport operator STASY to close the Korydallos and Maniatika metro stations on Line 3 from 15:30, with trains bypassing both stations without stopping. Authorities also imposed parking and stopping bans between 14:00 and 23:00 on major roads in Nikaia and Keratsini, including Salaminos Avenue, P. Ralli Avenue, and Pavlos Fyssas Street. Similar anti-fascist demonstrations were scheduled across Greece on Friday evening, including marches at Kamara in Thessaloniki at 18:00, Georgiou Square in Patras at 18:30, and Eleftherias Square in Volos at 19:00.
The 2013 murder and judicial timeline
The 34-year-old musician, known by his stage name Killah P, was fatally stabbed in the early hours of 18 September 2013 in the Amfiali neighborhood of Keratsini. Fyssas had been watching a football match at a cafe with friends on the evening of 17 September when an altercation began with members of Golden Dawn. The neo-Nazi group summoned reinforcements, and Giorgos Roupakias arrived in a car, stabbing Fyssas three times before being identified by the victim and arrested at the scene. Golden Dawn was then a parliamentary party, having won 6.97% of the vote and 18 seats in the 2012 Greek elections.
- Pavlos Fyssas is fatally stabbed by Golden Dawn member Giorgos Roupakias in Keratsini.
- The criminal trial against Golden Dawn members and leadership begins in Athens.
- The court rules Golden Dawn is a criminal organisation and convicts its leadership.
- The appeals court confirms the convictions and 13-year prison sentence for Ilias Kasidiaris.
- Former Golden Dawn lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris is released from prison.
- Demonstrators gather across Greece to mark 13 years since the murder.
Court rulings and political tensions
The murder prompted an extensive criminal investigation into Golden Dawn, which had previously conducted attacks on Pakistani worker Sahzat Luqman, Egyptian fishermen, and PAME trade unionists in Perama. The trial began in April 2015 and lasted approximately 5.5 years. On 7 October 2020, the Three-Member Court of Appeal for Felonies ruled that Golden Dawn operated as a criminal organisation, convicting its leadership. In March 2026, an appeals court confirmed the ruling and maintained a 13-year prison sentence for former lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris. Demonstrators at Friday's rallies chanted slogans against Kasidiaris following his release from prison on 15 September 2026, as he stated his intention to return to active politics and run in national elections.
