Ioannis Lagos | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Leader ofNational Popular Consciousness | |
| In office 9 November 2019 – 10 February 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Party established |
| Succeeded by | Party dissolved |
| Member of the European Parliament forGreece | |
| In office 2 July 2019 – 16 July 2024 | |
| Member of theHellenic Parliament forPiraeus B | |
| In office 6 May 2012 – 2 July 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1972-09-07)7 September 1972 (age 53) Piraeus, Greece |
| Political party | Independent (since 2023) National Popular Consciousness (2019-2023) |
| Other political affiliations | Alliance for Peace and Freedom (2019-2023) Golden Dawn (until 2019) |
Ioannis (Giannis)Lagos (Greek:Ιωάννης (Γιάννης) Λαγός; born 7 September 1972) is a Greek convictedcriminal[1] and far-right politician who served as aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) forGreece from2019 to2024.[2] At the time of his election, Lagos was a member of the Greekneo-Nazi andultranationalist political party and criminal organizationGolden Dawn.[3]
He had been a member of theHellenic Parliament for thePiraeus B constituency fromMay 2012 until his election as an MEP.
On 7 October 2020, Lagos was found guilty of running Golden Dawn, and a number of other serious offences, including orchestrating the fatal stabbing ofPavlos Fyssas and many violent attacks on migrants and left-wing political opponents.[4] Subsequently, he was sentenced to 13 years in jail.[5]
He has served for a number of years as a member of theHellenic Parliament for the neo-Nazi partyGolden Dawn between 2012 and 2019, and waselected to theEuropean Parliament on the party's ticket before announcing that he would sit as anindependent a few days after being sworn in as an MEP on 2 July 2019.[6] He and other former Golden Dawn MPs and members founded a splinter party on 9 November 2019.[7]
On 2 March 2022, he was one of 13 MEPs who voted against condemning theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[citation needed]
In January 2020, Lagos tore down theflag of Turkey during a speech at the European Parliament on illegal migration, accusingTurkey of sending illegal immigrants toGreece. The action received criticism from Turkish and Greek officials, including Turkish Minister of Foreign AffairsMevlüt Çavuşoğlu[8] and theGreek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[9] He was later fined by the European Parliament for his actions.[10]
His actions withGolden Dawn have twice led to his arrest and detention on charges of forming a criminal organization, while he is also allegedly involved in the murder ofPavlos Fyssas, which led to his conviction, along with many other members, on October 7, 2020, as one of the leaders of the criminal gang.[3]
On September 13, 2019, he was sentenced to another eight months in jail with suspension for the attack on the social space "Συνεργείο" in 2013[11] and an extra 13 years in October 2020 for leading a criminal organisation, resulting in a prison sentence of 13 years.[5]
On October 19, 2020, Greek authorities submitted a request to the European Parliament to have Giannis Lagos'parliamentary immunity lifted in order to prosecute him.[12]The immunity has been removed on April 27, 2021, opening to his extradition to Greece.[13]
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