In the order, which rejected the request of Golden Dawn leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos to be released from prison, the investigators refer to the statements made by the parliamentary group of the party from the tribune of the National Assembly on the day celebrating the restoration of democracy in Greece, namely, "You state that democracy was restored in 1974 and we state that it was restored in 1967." (The dictatorship of the junta of colonels was established in Greece after a military coup in 1967.)
According to sources, the two investigators, Ioanna Klapa and Maria Dimitropoulou, state that Golden Dawn today continues to follow the same ideology, "namely admiration for the personality of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime as well as for the dictatorship imposed on 21 April 1967" and denial of parliamentarism and democracy "despite the public assurances to the opposite expressed by the accused", by party deputies and members. Both investigators perceive the infamous statement that "democracy was restored in 1967" as a sign that expresses the ideology of Golden Dawn and characterizes its activity.
Sources claim that the investigators attribute to Nikos Michaloliakos the complete control over the criminal organisation, pointing out the fact that he defines its principles as well as the framework and the tools of the criminal activities of the members of Golden Dawn, "whether he was aware of every particular action or not". In confirmation of this view, the magistrates indicate the following cases:
a) an organised attack against the club of anarchists, "Antipnia" in Petralona, which was carried out by 20 people, members of Golden Dawn, on 30 June 2008. The attack damaged the club and injured two young men, of Greek and Spanish origin respectively, one of whom almost lost his life;
b) an organised attack carried out against a public building called "The Workshop" in Ilioupoli on 10 July 2013. At the time of the attack, young children were attending an English lesson and were secretly taken out of the building so as not to suffer;
c) an organised attack against Pavlos Fyssas;
d) an attack on members of the communist trade union PAME in Piraeus;
According to the investigators, if released, Nikos Michaloliakos will continue the same criminal activity. They do not accept his statements that he is unable to perform his duties as a deputy because he is under arrest.
According to sources, the investigators emphasize that the party leader is entitled to request the respective permission from the competent institution in the country, namely the council of prisons. As noted, "the political implications" of the temporary detention of Michaloliakos, as he calls them, do not affect the assessment of the judicial authorities nor do they influence the judicial investigation into the allegations against him, against the deputies and members of Golden Dawn.
However, in the course of the investigation, the magistrates have found new defendants who have been sent summonses in order for them to be questioned in connection with the specific activities of the organisation.
So, in the coming days, 12 more people have been called to give explanations regarding the crime of "involvement and membership in a criminal organisation" as it seems that they are associated with the court files relating to the following acts:
* The murder of a biker of Pakistani origin in Petralona.
* The murder of a 17-year-old student from Paleo Faliro.
* The attack on the "Antipnia" club in Ilioupoli.
* Setting fire to the "Quadro" cafe in Amerikis Square, which was owned by a foreigner.
In the coming days the investigating authorities will decide on the request for the release of Golden Dawn deputy Christos Pappas. Prosecutor Isidoros Doiakos has already suggested its rejection.
Meanwhile, the anti-terrorism service searched today the homes of Golden Dawn deputies Stathis Boukouras and George Germenis, following the prosecutor’s order issued within the context of the investigation against the three deputies on the charges of involvement and leadership of a criminal organisation.
Their defence speeches have been scheduled for Saturday, 7 December.
Golden Dawn: They are trying to intimidate us
In a message issued in connection with the raid of the anti-terrorism service on the houses of the deputies of Golden Dawn, the party states that it is "a violation of the concept of constitutional legitimacy on the part of Samaras and Venizelos’ junta".
"There is no evidence against Golden Dawn and, through such pathetic measures, they are trying to intimidate us", reads the message, adding that "deputy Iliopoulos’ wife who is about to give birth any minute was in shock when the junta had thrown her out of her house in an offhand manner."
The communication of the party also states that "deputy Germenis has a two-year old daughter and our colleague Boukouras three minor children, the youngest of whom is three years old. They are now experiencing the worst version of terrorism."