Weapons, slaughtering of lambs to “find arteries”, and beatings of members who wanted to leave the organization are some of the terrifying details an ex-member code-named “Witness E” of the far-right Greek party Golden Dawn, told the court during a hearing.

The witness’ experience inside the political party lasted six years, ending in 2010 when she decided to leave because she “felt disgusted by the party’s activities” and “afraid for her life”. After leaving the organisation, “Witness E” was forced to leave her job and home and go into hiding as she began receiving threats from members of the party.

The former member of Golden Dawn also said in her testimony that the party started scaling violent attacks towards foreigners and leftists in 2006 and that “knife attacks started in 2010”.

“Witness E” also spoke about the night watches around Athens and the lessons on how to exterminate the enemy. She told the court that she did not participate in these activities because “it wasn’t her nature” and that it did not “match her political ideology”.

The former member said she was in the offices of the party when Nikos Mihos, former Golden Dawn MP, cancelled a slaughtering class where he showed other members of the party how to use a knife to find arteries.

Additionally, all party members had to carry weapons because “they were at risk” of an attack. The feeling of danger intensified after a bomb was found in the party’s headquarters, she said.

Asked by the chair if she received any threats after she began distancing herself from Golden Dawn, the witness answered that a “beating order” was issued against her. To this day, the order remains and any member of the party knows to “break her legs” if she’s found, said the witness.

A trial against high-profile members of Golden Dawn for "belonging to a criminal group and murder" has been ongoing since 2015 after an anti-fascism rapper was murdered in 2013 by a party member.

Credit: Athens News Agency