Marking 13 years since the murder of Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas by a member of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, MEPs at the European Parliament in Brussels were invited to a performance to pay tribute to the musician's life.
A theatrical monologue about murdered Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas at the European Parliament. Actress Dora Chrysikou portrays a young woman who was an eyewitness to a far-right crime.
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The performance unfolds the story of the murder of Fyssas, while also taking us into the Golden Dawn trial. Maria Louka wrote the text, which is based on real witness statements. Korais Damatis directed the piece.
PASOK MEP Nikolas Farantouris was behind the invitation to the European Parliament in Brussels: "No to the far-right agenda. We must not subscribe to the agenda of fear. We have to provide solutions without entering into dialogue with those who want to overturn democracy. They have already crept into the European Parliament (source in Greek)and, with the mask of modernisation, with the mask of normality, they are trying to persuade us that they have solutions to the world's problems," said Farantouris.
"I was the same age as Pavlos, I am two years older than him. So I remember very clearly how we woke up on 18 September 2013. Then I started following the trial. That was the turning point when I conceived the idea, but quite a long time passed between conception and implementation," explained Dora Chrysikou.
"I think that I wanted to tell this story together with Pavlos's family. This deep respect and love that I developed for this family, and of course when I understood what kind of person Pavlos was. He had a profound affirmation of goodness and solidarity, she added.
"For the first time someone walks across the benches of the European Parliament. It is a symbolic gesture to show that we will stamp out fascism. For the first time in the European Parliament a message of democracy and peace is heard so clearly. After all, weren't these also the founding causes of the European Union?"
The heroine is neither invincible nor glossy. She is transparent and fragile. She is someone from our own world - a neighbour, a friend, a sister - struggling with her fears just hours before giving her testimony at the trial. An ordinary person who becomes a subject of history.
The monologue, presented with subtitles in English and French, coincided with the dramatic rise of the far right in the recent elections in Germany and in other European countries. It also coincided with the release of Kasidiaris and his announcement that he intends to return to the political stage.
"This performance illuminates the personality of Pavlos Fyssas, but it also sheds light on all of us, the average person. Because we live in a time when the 'mind your own business' is more powerful and dominant than ever," said Chrysikou.
"Almost all of us are virtually apolitical; the exceptions are very few. We think that whatever happens does not concern us, until the harm reaches your doorstep. But as the performance says, evil is much closer than you think. If you have not reacted,when it knocks on your own door, then it will be too late," added Chrysikou.
