Greece: Spokesman from Golden Dawn party slaps woman on live television, then sues her
Members of the ‘Golden Dawn’ nationalist group hold a copy of the Greek sixth-grade history book before burning it, while protesting in Athens during the celebrations of the Greek Independence Day.
Last week, Ilias Kasidiaris, a spokesman from Greece's right-wing extremist Golden Dawn party, made headlines for slapping a woman on live television and pouring water on another. A video of the incident went viral. But now, the incident is taking a bizarre twist: Kasidiaris is suing the women he attacked, Ekathimerini.com reported.
Last week, Kasidiaris and other Greek politicians had a heated debate on television before the national elections on June 17. The debate ended when he slapped Communist Party candidate Liana Kanelli across the face three times, the Associated Press reported. He also poured water on Rena Dourou, a deputy in the radical leftist SYRIZA party.
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Kasidiaris, a 31-year-old former army commando, quickly went into hiding to avoid arrest, Reuters reported, but has since issued a statement blaming the women for the attack. "I have come to the prosecutor today to file a lawsuit against Mrs. Kanelli and Mrs. Dourou for unprovoked defamation, and against TV station Antenna for my illegal detention," Kasidiaris told reporters, according to Reuters.
People often describe the Golden Dawn party as a Neo-Nazi group, although Golden Dawn members insist they are actually part of a "nationalist patriotic group," the AP reported. Golden Dawn members have previously been accused of violently attacking immigrants in Athens.
Watch a video of the television brawl below: