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Ilias Kasidiaris

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Ilias P. Kasidiaris (Greek: Ηλίας Π. Κασιδιάρης; born 29 November 1980) is a Greek politician and founder of the political party National Party – Greeks, formerly Greeks for the Fatherland. [3][4][5][2] He was a member of the Greek parliament,[6] and a convicted leader of the former leaders of the now disbanded criminal organization Golden Dawn.[7] In October 2020, he was convicted of directing a criminal organization and sentenced to 13.5 years in prison,[8] allegations for which he maintains his innocence.[9]

Ilias P. Kasidiaris
Kasidiaris in 2016
President of National Party – Greeks
In office
4 June 2020 – May 2022[1]
Succeeded byDimitrios Chatziliadis
Member of the Hellenic Parliament
In office
6 May 2012 – 11 June 2019
ConstituencyAttica
Personal details
Born (1980-11-29) 29 November 1980 (age 43)
Keratsini, Greece
Political party
Residence(s)Drafi, Greece
Alma materAgricultural University of Athens
OccupationPolitician, agriculturalist, author[2]
Military service
Allegiance Greece
Branch/serviceHellenic Army
Unit35th Commando Battalion

Early and personal life

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Ilias Kasidiaris was born on 29 November 1980 in Keratsini, Greece.[10]

Kasidiaris' father, Panagiotis Kasidiaris, is a retired doctor while his mother is a teacher in philology with a specialization in archaeology. As a child he was attracted to gymnastics, martial arts, writing and history. For many years, he had been taking dance classes, including tango.[citation needed]

During his military service, he served in the 1st Raider/Paratrooper Brigade and more specifically in the 35th Commando Battalion in Cyprus.[11] He holds a degree in agriculture with a speciality in food chemistry from the Agricultural University of Athens.[12]

Political career

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In an interview conducted by Nikos Evangelatos on Skai TV in May 2012, Kasidiaris declined to condemn Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and stated that "his role in history will be judged in time," and reiterated his stance against immigrants in Greece.[13]

Kasidiaris quoted The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in a 23 October 2012 speech to parliament. Defending himself in a discussion of whether to lift his parliamentary immunity over his assault of Kanelli, he quoted the passage, "In order to destroy the prestige of heroism we shall send them for trial in the category of theft, murder and every kind of abominable and filthy crime."[14] Kasidiaris, as well as two of his Golden Dawn colleagues, had their immunities stripped by a unanimous vote of the parliament.[15]

In mid-2013, while in the parliament, Kasidiaris said that he and other members of parliament were Holocaust deniers.[16]

Οn 17 September 2013, Kasidiaris and a number of other Golden Dawn lawmakers were arrested on 28 September 2013 on charges of belonging to a criminal organisation.[17] The charge sheet included murder, extortion, and involvement in the disappearance of up to 100 migrants.[18] On 2 October 2013, Ilias Kasidiaris was released on a 50,000 euro bail.[19]

On 2 April 2014, Takis Baltakos and Ilias Kasidiaris were recorded on video discussing the incarceration of Golden Dawn lawmakers.[20] Takis Baltakos, Samaras's most trusted adviser and chief of staff was filmed accusing Samaras of instigating a judicial inquiry against the Golden Dawn party for political gain. That week parliament voted to lift the immunity from prosecution of five Golden Dawn deputies.[21] Justice Minister Athanasiou and Citizen Protection Minister Dendias were implicated in the video. Baltakos was forced to resign but then claimed that New Democracy and Golden Dawn has an informal alliance, with parliamentary voting support.[22] The pre-trial detention and house arrest ahead of a trial was the most significant mass round-up of lawmakers since the military coup in 1967.[23]

On 10 July 2014, Kasidiaris was taken into custody in Koridalos prison, on a charge of weapons possession with the intent to supply a criminal organisation.[24] On 1 July 2015, Kasidiaris was released from custody after the council of appeals court judges deemed that "the legal weight" of the offense was not adequate to justify detention. Kasidiaris was required to report regularly to his local police station and under the conditions of his release was not allowed to visit Golden Dawns political offices.[25]

On 15 July 2015, during rancorous debates in the Greek parliament on the passing of various bills required as a precursor to the commencement on negotiations to receive a third bailout of the Greek economy, Kasidiaris tore up papers during an speech.[26]

On 18 December 2019, during the Golden Dawn trial, which had started in 2015, the prosecutor suggested that all defendants except Roupakias are found not guilty of murdering Pavlos Fyssas and all felonies.[27][28] Among the defendants was Kasidiaris. However, on 7 October 2020, the jury verdict found Kasidiaris guilty of directing a criminal organization along with other members of Golden Dawn.[29]

In 2020, Kasidiaris founded the National Party – Greeks. Following the exclusion of the National Party from both the May and June 2023 elections, Kasidiaris announced its "full support" for the Spartans political party.[30][31] The Spartans party won 12 seats in the elections. In his first public statement after the election, Vasilis Stigkas openly thanked Kasidiaris for "[being] the fuel that has propelled us to [entering parliament]".[32] On 27 July 2023, Kasidiaris announced that he will run for mayor of Athens. The Spartans political party fully supported him.[citation needed] His candidacy was made official on 10 August and he was registered as a candidate on 10 September. On election day, he received 8,5% of the vote or 11,643 votes and he was elected to the Athens municipal council.[citation needed]

Televised Dourou–Kanelli assault

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On 7 June 2012, during a television appearance on ANT1, Kasidiaris, in response to a verbal disagreement, splashed a glass of water at Greek politician Rena Dourou, and then proceeded to slap Liana Kanelli multiple times after she struck him with a piece of paper.[33]

The heated exchange was a fluid discussion focusing on the rights of immigrant workers vs right of the unemployed Greeks and the development of gas reservoirs in northern Crete eventually disintegrating from a heated debate to broken rhetoric from both sides about opinion on the Regime of the Colonels to the persecution of Golden Dawn activists. The discussion broke down when Kanelli referred to Kasidiaris as a "fascist" «φασίστα», Kasidiaris responded by derogatorily calling her «παλιοκομμούνι», that is, a "dirty communist". Dourou intervened and said there was a democratic crisis in Greece and that Golden Dawn would take the country back 500 years if they ever got into power, Kasidiaris threw the water at Dourou, and Dorou grinned at the subsequent scuffle as Kanelli hit Kasidiaris with a paper and Kasidiaris pushed her back and slapped her multiple times.[34]

In Greece it was openly debated by the press whether Kasidiaris had been right or wrong and he was widely cheered online.[35] In March 2015 Kasidiaris attended court to face charges of grievous bodily harm. Giorgos Papadakis, a presenter and journalist who witnessed the assault, stated that threats were also made to television crew and other employees.[36]

A Facebook page dedicated to Kasidiaris picked up 6,000 'likes' within 24 hours.[37] Kasidiaris was also awaiting trial for allegedly being the getaway driver[38] for an armed assault on a university professor in Athens in 2007.[39][40] He was found not guilty of all charges relating to the 2007 incident in March 2013, due to a lack of evidence against him.[41][42]

Works

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Kasidiaris has written seven books during his presence in Golden Dawn and his stay in prison.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Στέρηση πολιτικών δικαιωμάτων για τους καταδικασμένους της Χρυσής Αυγής". 29 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης – Έλληνες – Εκδόσεις Λόγχη" [Ilias Kasidiaris – Greeks – Longhi Publications]. logxi.com (in Greek). Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  3. ^ iefimerida.gr (21 May 2020). "Ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης έφυγε από τη Χρυσή Αυγή και ιδρύει δικό του κόμμα". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. ^ Newsroom (2 May 2020). "Νέο εθνικιστικό κόμμα ιδρύει ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης". CNN.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 21 July 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "Greek court declares fascist Golden Dawn party a criminal organization". Peoples Dispatch. 7 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Βιογραφικά Στοιχεία". www.hellenicparliament.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  7. ^ * Gemenis, Kostas; Nezi, Roula (January 2012), The 2011 Political Parties Expert Survey in Greece (PDF), University of Twente, p. 4, Interestingly, the placement of the extreme right Chrysi Avyi does not seem to be influenced by this bias, although this has more do with the lack of variance in the data (32 out of 33 experts placed the party on 10)
  8. ^ Newsroom. "Crime official calls for restricted phone access for ex-Golden Dawn official | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ IEFIMERIDA.GR, NEWSROOM (16 October 2020). "Δίκη Χρυσής Αυγής-Κασιδιάρης: Είμαι αθώος, αλλά με κρίνατε με 20.000 βίαιους διαδηλωτές απέξω". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  10. ^ "ΗΛΙΑΣ ΚΑΣΙΔΙΑΡΗΣ". ΕΛΛΗΝΕΣ | ELLHNES.net. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Ποιος είναι ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης". E-Radio.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  12. ^ "«Ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης είναι ο playboy της ελληνικής ακροδεξιάς» | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 7 June 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Χρυσή Αυγή: "Ο Αδόλφος Χίτλερ είναι ένα πρόσωπο που θα κριθεί εν καιρώ"". Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  14. ^ "'Protocols of the Elders of Zion' read aloud in Greek parliament". Times of Israel. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Greek Parliament lifts immunity of 3 far-right lawmakers". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 24 October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  16. ^ "Racist dilemmas". The Economist. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Greek justice hits neo-Nazi 'Golden Dawn'". EurActiv.com. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  18. ^ Channel 4 News (29 September 2013). "Swastikas but no faces please – Golden Dawn in crisis". Retrieved 30 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Greece: Head of Far-Right Party Appears in Court : NPR". NPR. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  20. ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  21. ^ Smith, Helena (3 April 2014). "Greek prime minister facing resignation calls after aide's Golden Dawn gaffe". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  22. ^ "Samaras' righthand man used SMS to tell Golden Dawn MPs how to vote". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  23. ^ "From prison, Greece's Golden Dawn runs quiet but vitriolic campaign". Reuters. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016.
  24. ^ "Προφυλακιστέος ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης". Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  25. ^ "Golden Dawn spokesman Kasidiaris released from custody – Kathimerini". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  26. ^ Siciliano, Leon (15 July 2015). "Golden Dawn MP furiously tears up papers in Parliament over bailout deal". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  27. ^ Group), Radiotileoptiki S. A. (OPEN Digital (1 January 1980). "Εισαγγελέας - Χρυσή Αυγή: Ενοχος μόνο ο Ρουπακιάς για τη δολοφονία Φύσσα". ΕΘΝΟΣ (in Greek). Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Η εισαγγελέας που είχε «αθώωσει» τους χρυσαυγίτες". ΤΑ ΝΕΑ (in Greek). 7 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Greece Golden Dawn: Neo-Nazi leaders guilty of running crime gang". BBC. London. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  30. ^ "Εκλογές 2023: Τους «Σπαρτιάτες» στηρίζει ο Κασιδιάρης μετά το νέο «μπλόκο»". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ (in Greek). 8 June 2023.
  31. ^ "Εκλογές 2023: Τα 32 κόμματα που συμμετέχουν". protothema.gr. 8 June 2023.
  32. ^ "Η πρώτη δήλωση του προέδρου των Σπαρτιατών και το «ευχαριστώ» στον Κασιδιάρη". www.naftemporiki.gr (in Greek). 25 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  33. ^ Greek New Dawn's Ilias Kasidiaris sues women over TV row, BBC News, 11 June 2012
  34. ^ FreeMyBody77 (7 June 2012). "ΚΑΣΙΔΙΑΡΗΣ -ΚΑΝΕΛΛΗ ΖΩΝΤΑΝΑ 7/6/2012 ΦΑΠΕΣ ΣΤΟΝ ΑΝΤ1.mp4". Retrieved 25 March 2018 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ Silverwood, Chris Heath,Owen (12 December 2012). "Ilias Kasidiaris Greek TV Scandal". Retrieved 25 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ Kasidiaris on trial for assaulting KKE MP Liana Kanelli, "The Golden Dawn MP is on trial for his violent outburst on live TV in June 2012", www.tovima.gr, Friday, 6 March 2015.
  37. ^ Savaricas, Nathalie (9 June 2012). "Anti-fascist fury in Athens after far-right MP hit rival". The Independent. London.
  38. ^ "Kasidiaris to face trial for TV beating". Enetenglish.gr. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  39. ^ "Αναβλήθηκε για τη Δευτέρα η δίκη του Ηλία Κασιδιάρη". Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  40. ^ Howden, Daniel (8 May 2012). "Nikos Michaloliakos: The far-right firebrand who holds Europe's future in his hands". The Independent. London.
  41. ^ "Πρώτο ΘΕΜΑ online : Αθωώθηκε ο Κασιδιάρης και προκαλεί – Πολιτική". Protothema.gr. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  42. ^ "Greece: Golden Dawn's Ilias Kasidiaris acquitted in court". Digitaljournal.com. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
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