Defiant Michaloliakos: “Don’t You Dare Touch Me”

Jailed Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos, brought back to Parliament on June 4 to testify as his colleagues debated whether to further lift immunity protection, spat out a rant of defiance. “You are a sad minority government, you put me into prison for no reason. I’m an unrepentant nationalist and proud member of the Golden Dawn and you will never change me,” he proclaimed. Michaloliakos and fellow Golden Dawn lawmakers Christos Pappas and Yannis Lagos were transferred from prison to Parliament to speak during a debate on lifting their immunity on additional weapons charges. They have been detained in prison for seven months pending trial on charges of running a criminal gang, but have denied all the accusations and said they are victims of a political witch hunt. Michaloliakos and Lagos, are also facing charges of illegal weapon possession,while Pappas is facing charges for keeping an illegal archive. Security was beefed up after about 200 supporters turned up outside the Parliament in Syntagma Square, waving Greek flags and denouncing the government. The moment that Michaloliakos entered the building, relatives and GD supporters rushed to meet him, chanting slogans urging him to expose and ridicule the “system”. When he was approached by members of the Parliament Guard, Michaloliakos shouted at them: “Don’t you dare touch me.” He vented furiously at the government of Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras and its coalition partner the PASOK Socialists, who are trying to dismantle the neo-Nazi party. “You are guilty of orchestrating a political conspiracy, manufacturing charges based on poll results,” he said. He added that: “I do not fear prison, my handcuffs are a badge of honor.” He also taunted authorities who had been searching for a massive weapons cache without finding it. “You were searching for an “arsenal, what did you find?” he asked.

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