Statement by the Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection Nikos Dendias for the murder of 34-year old Pavlos Physsas

The recent disgraceful and unacceptable events in Meligala, yesterday’s attempted insult against the parliament and the grisly murder of Pavlos Physsas by an adjacent to the Golden Dawn, as he has already admitted, demonstrate in the clearest way the intentions of the neo-Nazi group.

I declare that the Greek Republic is not going to remain passive vis a vis the unacceptable challenge of the Rule of Law that this murder, along with the other recent events, entails. The Greek Police have already arrested the perpetrator of the murder and are currently conducting extensive investigations.

Also, in the next few days, we bring for public debate a proposal for a legislative initiative, aiming at a broader redefinition of Article 187 of the Penal Code on criminal association and of Article 195 of the Penal Code defining what constitutes formation of an armed group.

I take this opportunity to urge all those who believe that the terms of expression of civil and political rights and political dialogue are cornerstones of a democratic country; all those whose sense of perception, historical memory and expectations for the future of Greece abhor acts and theories, which are based on the logic of discrimination, oppression, fascism and racism, which are further manifested with insults, derogatory accusations, attacks, by use of force and unfortunately by killing innocent civilians .

I urge all democratic political forces, but also all our fellow citizens who care and are anxious about the present and the future of the country and our society, for the wellbeing and the future of our children, to jointly decide in a definite manner that neither our state would tolerate nor our society would accept acts and practices which directly undermine our democratic institutions and introduce underworld behaviors in our political life. We should all agree on a mutually acceptable framework of political and public behavior, in which dialogue would be dominating along with understanding and direct and outright repudiation of any brutal and undemocratic acts.

We should finally stand together with our history as a guide and consider whether the characteristics of a certain political formation in our country today is identifiable with the ideas of certain constructs of the past in Germany and Italy; if the military-style structure we have seen in Meligala refers to the logic of violence, discrimination and the fascist worldview and, finally, to the times when the black attire and Nazi and fascist violence left deep and painful imprints in the soul of Greek society."