2 Shot Dead at Greek Site Used by Party on Far Right
Simela Pantzartzi/European Pressphoto Agency
A counterterrorism squad
gathered evidence on Friday after a shooting outside the offices of the
neo-fascist Golden Dawn party in a northern suburb of Athens.
By NIKI KITSANTONIS
Published: November 1, 2013
ATHENS — Gunmen on a motorcycle killed two people and wounded a third on Friday evening outside the offices of the neo-fascist Golden Dawn party in a northern suburb of Athens, the police said, and the party called it a politically motivated attack.Multimedia
Greek news services speculated that the shootings signaled a possible
resurgence of domestic terrorism and unrest in an economically
struggling country that is heavily burdened by debts.
The gunmen pulled up outside the offices shortly after 7 p.m. and fired
at three people, a police spokesman said, leaving two dead and a third
hospitalized with serious injuries.
The spokesman, who was not authorized to give his name, said it was
premature to say whether the attack, in the suburb of Neo Iraklio, had
been political. The police said that 15 9-millimeter shell casings had
been recovered, contradicting earlier reports in the Greek news media
that Kalashnikov assault rifles were used in the attack.
In a statement posted on its website, Golden Dawn said the dead were
“two young kids” in their mid-20s who were shot at close range. The
statement suggested that the attack had a political motive. “Golden Dawn
had asked for police protection for its offices, as it had received
threats, but the treacherous coalition of Samaras refused,” the
statement said, referring to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
The party’s statement did not identify the victims by name, noting only
that it regarded them as “members of our family,” but a Golden Dawn
member of Parliament, Ilias Panagiotaros, told Greek radio that the two
had been party members.
A government spokesman, Simos Kedikoglou, said the killers would be
caught and would face “merciless punishment,” and Public Order Minister
Nikos Dendias expressed his grief. “We will not allow the country to
become an arena for scores to be settled, for whatever reason,” Mr.
Dendias said.
The assault was condemned by parties across the political spectrum and
dominated Greek news coverage, with television stations interrupting
their programming to broadcast developments.
Golden Dawn, one of Europe’s most violent far-right groups, is the focus of a criminal investigation,
with its leader and an additional two members of Parliament in custody
and several more facing a string of charges relating to homicides,
assaults and other crimes that prosecutors have linked to the party.
Last month, Greece’s Parliament voted to suspend state funding to the party.
The police issued a statement saying the force’s counterterrorism unit
was investigating the killings, and the spokesman said the dead were
ages 22 and 27, while the wounded victim was 29.
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