Former Golden Dawn lawmaker Christos Pappas defends himself at appeal trial

Former Golden Dawn lawmaker Christos Pappas, convicted successful 2020 of serving arsenic lawman person of the now-defunct neo-Nazi enactment and sentenced to 13 years and three months successful prison, defended himself connected Friday during his entreaty proceeding astatine the Athens Court of Appeals. Pappas, who was conditionally released successful July, rejected the charges against him.

“I cannot understand why I americium accused,” Pappas told the court. “There is thing successful the lawsuit record linking maine to immoderate incitement of amerciable acts. I served arsenic the party’s parliamentary representative, and the little tribunal overlooked my parliamentary work.”

He denied immoderate engagement successful the 2013 execution of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, besides known arsenic “Killah P,” which was carried retired by a Golden Dawn supporter and triggered the transgression probe against the party. “I was absent for 15 years, then became a subordinate of parliament, and suddenly galore radical did not similar it. Did I ever tell anyone ‘kill Fyssas’? For me, taking a beingness is not lone a superior transgression discourtesy but the top sin,” helium said, adding that helium archetypal learned of the sidesplitting connected the vigor the pursuing morning.

Considered 1 of Golden Dawn’s starring ideologues, Pappas dismissed the “No. 2” statement arsenic a media fabrication and addressed his idiosyncratic transportation to enactment person Nikolaos Michaloliakos. “Just due to the fact that I americium the godfather for Michaloliakos, does that marque it a crime? I was not portion of his interior circle,” helium said.

Pappas besides commented connected photographs included successful the lawsuit file, including 1 taken beneath a Nazi flag, saying they dated backmost to his youth and had ne'er been made public. “I americium 62 today. Back successful 1989 I was much romantic… the media recovered some files to make impressions. Nothing was recovered that could incriminate me,” helium said.

He denied issuing immoderate directives for the party, claiming alternatively that members were tested connected Greek past and that helium had “renounced past ideologies.”

Pappas alleged that the crackdown connected Golden Dawn was politically motivated by the then New Democracy authorities of Antonis Samaras. “We were cutting into their vote stock – we were taking votes distant from Samaras. If that’s not governmental gangsterism, then what is?” helium said, referencing a secretly recorded video of then furniture caput Takis Baltakos speaking with Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris. In the video, Baltakos appeared to suggest that the transgression probe was intended to stem losses for the ruling conservatives.

The entreaty trial, which began successful 2022, involves astir of Golden Dawn’s erstwhile MPs. Many defendants person already served their sentences and did not look successful court. Present connected Friday were Pappas, erstwhile MEP Ioannis Lagos and erstwhile MP Stathis Boukouras.

Pappas was arrested successful 2021, months aft Golden Dawn’s enactment was convicted of moving a transgression organization. The landmark trial lasted much than 5 years and saw verdicts handed down against 68 defendants successful 2020.