A Pakistani worker has been shot in the head in Greece in a suspected hate crime prior to a key appeal trial that involves the notorious neo-Nazi organization Golden Dawn.
The anti-racism Keerfa group said Ali Riaz, 26, was repeatedly fired at by a passing taxi driver in central Athens on Monday when he and other Muslims were returning from Eid prayers.
It said that doctors removed a pellet from his left temple. “I did not see his face… but he was white,” Riaz told Greek state TV.
This comes before an appeals trial is set to be held on June 15. The case involves multiple members of the Golden Dawn group, which was formerly the country’s third most popular party.
In an October 2020 ruling, the group’s leader Nikos Michaloliakos and as many as 60 other members were found guilty of taking part in a criminal organization.
Crimes included the murder of a Greek anti-racism rapper and a severe beating of an Egyptian fisherman. 40 people out of the total 57, convicted in 2020, were jailed with 35 still being in prison.
