Two alleged supporters of Golden Dawn stand accused of attempted homicide in planning and carrying out the attack. According to reports, they were members of a local Golden Dawn youth group. Text messages on their phones show that they received ‘classified’ updates from the organisation about upcoming events and party ‘actions’. The messages on their phones also reveal that the two had twice before planned to ambush the 17 year-old. After the attack the pair were also reportedly photographed with the knife as a trophy.

The case forms part of the wider casefile being amassed against the extremist party which includes dozens of attacks and criminal offences prosecutors say were arranged and perpetrated by members of the party and which prove that Golden Dawn amounts to a criminal organisation.

In his testimony the student identified the accused as his attacker saying,

“The attacker wore a hood but his face was not covered. From the first moment I recognized the accused. I didn’t see the knife. The doctor told me with certainty that the object was sharp.”

The student gave a blow by blow account of the attack which occurred on January 28th 2013:

“It was 8.10 in the morning. I didn’t hear footsteps behind me because I was wearing headphones and listening to music. I felt someone immobilize me. Someone grabbing me by the shoulders. He hit me from the right on my temple and nose. I turned my head to see who it was and I saw the accused. He then hit me close to my carotid artery. The blow cut my nose and left it dangling. They didn’t say a word. When I called for help they started to run. A lot of people saw the incident but no one wanted to come and speak because they are frightened.”

The 17-year old said that until then he had not received any specific threats.

“The only thing that had happened previously was that the accused’s girlfriend, who was a friend of mine, had been drawing swastikas and crosses on her desk. I talked to her about it and I told her that she get in trouble but she didn’t listen. One day for fun someone wrote on her desk ‘ANTIFA’ [antifascist]. She told me to rub it out but I didn’t because I was winding her up. I don’t know if that was the reason but until then I hadn’t received any threats from anyone. Two months later they attacked me.”

“The attack was premeditated, it took place in a corner where I wouldn’t be seen from the courtyard”.

For their part the defendants deny that the attack had anything to do with the victim’s anti-fascist views, maintaining that it happened during an argument over the girl in question.

The victim’s parents in their testimony described the attack as attempted murder, noting that it was a miracle that their son survived.

“In the hospital everyone was shocked. The boy was covered in blood and underwent surgery for 2.5 hours. It was a murderous attack. They didn’t just hit him in the face. He was also stabbed in the neck,” his father said.

The case continues.