The annual commemorative march began on Monday evening at the memorial site in the Keratsini neighborhood, the very spot where Fyssas was assassinated by a member of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in 2013. The crowd, a diverse coalition of anti-fascist organizations, student unions, labor collectives, and left-wing political groups, swelled as it moved through the streets, its destination the port city of Piraeus.
At the forefront of the demonstration was Fyssas's mother, Magda Fyssas, who has become an icon of the anti-fascist struggle in Greece. Her unwavering presence has been a driving force, transforming her personal grief into a collective call for justice and vigilance. Banners held high by protestors bore slogans against fascism, racism, and state repression, echoing the militant and emotional pulse that has defined these marches for over a decade.
The demonstration is more than an act of mourning; it is a political statement. The murder of Pavlos Fyssas was the catalyst that triggered a nationwide crackdown on Golden Dawn, culminating in a historic 2020 court ruling that declared the party a criminal organization. The annual march serves as a potent reminder of that victory and a warning that the ideology that fueled the party has not been entirely extinguished.
While the procession was overwhelmingly peaceful, its energy was charged and determined. The chants and songs celebrated the life of Pavlos Fyssas, known by his stage name Killah P, whose music often tackled social injustice and inequality. For the thousands who march each year, his death was not in vain. It ignited a movement that successfully dismantled a violent neo-Nazi political force and continues to inspire a nationwide commitment to ensuring that such hatred never again finds a foothold in Greek society. As the march concluded, the resounding message was clear: Pavlos Fyssas is gone, but his fight lives on.
The Murder of Pavlos Fyssas
On the night of September 17-18, 2013, Pavlos Fyssas, a 34-year-old anti-fascist hip-hop artist, was with his friends at a café in the Keratsini district near Piraeus. After a confrontation inside over a football match, Fyssas and his friends were ambushed outside by a coordinated group of Golden Dawn members who had been alerted by phone.
In the ensuing attack, Fyssas was fatally stabbed in the heart by Giorgos Roupakias, a high-ranking member of Golden Dawn's local branch. Fyssas identified Roupakias to the police as his attacker before he died. The murder, carried out in a public space with cold-blooded precision, sent shockwaves across Greece and the world. It exposed the violent, paramilitary nature of Golden Dawn and became the pivotal event that led to the arrest of its leadership and its eventual designation as a criminal enterprise.
Photo: Efimerida ton Syntakton