On Far-Right Terrorism in Greece: “The night Pavlos left” by Xenophon Kontiadis

The novel “The night Pavlos left” by Xenophon Kontiadis is now available in German. The book narrates the rise of the neo-Nazi organization “Golden Dawn” from its founding in the 1980s, and especially its surge in the early 2010s during Greece’s unprecedented economic and political crisis, when it triumphantly entered Parliament. The book focuses on this period, during which “Golden Dawn” escalated its violent attacks, culminating in the murder of rapper Pavlos Fyssas in September 2013. Fyssas’s assassination marked a turning point, shaking Greek society and finally mobilizing the political and judicial system. Members and leaders of “Golden Dawn” were arrested, and shortly thereafter a major historic trial began. At its conclusion, individuals were convicted and “Golden Dawn” was officially designated as what it truly was: a criminal organization.

In his widely discussed book, Xenophon Kontiadis draws on real events to depict how Greece was shaken by far-right terrorism. Now in its sixth edition in Greece, the book gives voice to victims, witnesses, and all those who stood against hatred.

The presentation of the German edition, supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Thessaloniki Office, will take place on Monday, October 27, 2025, in Berlin, at the Heinrich Böll Foundation headquarters (Schumannstr. 8).

The author and other experts will discuss the rise of the far right in Greece, as well as parallels with Germany and the broader European context. The focus will be on the political and social causes, and the role of civil society in resisting the far right.

Participants:

• Xenophon Kontiadis, author, Professor of Public Law and Social Administration at Panteion University, Athens
• Dr. Annalena Schmidt, historian, political educator
• Theo Votsos, translator 

Moderator: Giorgos Pappas, journalist

A light buffet will follow.

* Language: German with simultaneous interpretation into Greek