A Greek appeals court has upheld the convictions of 42 members of the far-right organisation Golden Dawn, confirming a landmark earlier ruling that the group operated as a criminal organisation responsible for a series of violent attacks.
The far-right party Golden Dawn entered the Greek parliament in 2012 at the height of the country's financial crisis, winning nearly 7% of the vote and 18 seats, before its leadership was later convicted by Greek courts for organised crime.
The decision was delivered in Athens during a packed hearing attended by lawyers, journalists and members of the public. Crowds gathered outside the court from early morning, while police deployed heavy security forces, including multiple riot-control vehicles, along the street outside.
Among those again found guilty of directing the criminal organisation were Golden Dawn's founder, Nikos Michaloliakos, and senior figures Ilias Kasidiaris, Ioannis Lagos, Christos Pappas, Ilias Panagiotaros, Giorgos Germenis, and Artemis Matthaiopoulos. Eleven former members of parliament were also convicted for participation in the organisation.
The ruling confirms the original trial's findings that Golden Dawn functioned as a structured criminal network. The case is closely tied to a series of violent incidents linked to the group during the 2010s. These include the 2013 murder of anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas in Keratsini. The court reaffirmed the guilt of his killer, Giorgos Roupakias and found 14 additional defendants guilty as accomplices to the homicide. In a separate case connected to the organisation's activities, five defendants were also convicted of attempted murder for a violent attack on Egyptian fishermen in Perama.
Magda Fyssa, the mother of Fyssas, described the court's decision as "a historic day and a great victory for our society". Speaking after the ruling, she thanked the lawyers, supporters and campaigners who stood by the victims during the long legal battle, praising the prosecution team for being "a rock in this hell".
Holding a red rose as she arrived at the court, Fyssa dedicated the outcome to all those who fought for freedom and expressed hope that no one else would become a victim of fascist violence. She said the final conviction represented justice not only for the victims of the group's attacks but also for "all the victims of fascism".
She stressed the verdict was the result of more than twelve years of struggle and solidarity, adding: "Today solidarity won, love won, peace won." For her family, she said there could never be full justice because her son was gone. She said she felt relieved that she would no longer have to see or hear the defendants again after over a decade of attending court hearings.
