When he was assaulted by a gang of black-shirted Golden Dawn thugs on Wednesday night, 34-year-old Pavlos Fyssas — a big and powerful man — was with his girlfriend and another couple. Rather than run away from the assaulting squad of neo-Nazis, Pavlos tried to allow his companions to escape and confronted his assailants. He stood his ground while surrounded by a group of 20-25 thugs, some of whom were armed with sticks, when a man suddenly came driving up to him, hastily parked his car, jumped out and stabbed Pavlos twice in the chest and once in the abdomen.

Police were at the scene, and Pavlos’ girlfriend and other bystanders pleaded with them to intervene and stop the assailants. “They are too many,” was the answer of the police, “what can we do?” And so the DIAS motorcycle squad — one of the country’s most feared (and most fascist) security forces — stood by as Pavlos was fatally wounded. After being stabbed, he lived for 20 more minutes and incessantly pointed out and named the assailant with the knife, allowing the suspect to be arrested (allegedly by a single female officer who took out her gun and arrested him, apparently against the will of the others).

For a report and eyewitness account of the neo-Nazi ambush in which Pavlos was killed, click here. ROAR contributing editor Leonidas Oikonomakis of Greek hip-hop formation Social Waste pays tribute to his friend Pavlos here. Below is the English translation of one of Pavlos’ songs, building on a sample from legendary Greek rocker Giannis Aggelakas.

I won’t cry, I won’t fear

The world has become a big prison
and I’m looking for a way to break the chains.
There is a place waiting for me,
there at a high mountain peak for me to arrive.

That’s why I stretch again my two hands very high,
to steal some light from the bright stars.
I cannot take it down here and I’m about to choke
from this human misery, as much as sorrow.

I cannot stand it anymore and all these people were not for me,
so I followed another path and not the one they forced me to.
It was rough, tough and with many pitfalls,
bad love and friends like venomous vipers.
It had monsters with strange uniforms
always secretly lurking in the shadows.

Don’t stop if you decide to follow it,
tighten your teeth firmly and do not cry.
I took it myself and reached its end,
and as the old wise people write in books,
when the sun reaches its end,
eagles will light a fire from above.

To those who betrayed me by backstabbing me,
I want them to know that I will not bother to cry.
And to all my old loves,
I want them to know that I will not bother to cry.

And to those that threatened me with burning chains,
I want them to know that I will not bother with fear.
Let them come and find me at the mountain top,
I’m waiting for them and I will not bother with fear.

They told me not to have “crazy” dreams,
not dare to look at the stars,
but I never took them seriously,
I took the whole world in my arms.

They want nowadays to build me a nest
where there’s more fear, ugliness
and a moaning cry and a heavy chain,
carrying the curse of the gods and blasphemy.

I will not shed a tear and I will not be afraid.
I will not let them steal my dreams.
I fly free, high, very high,
while they are jealous of my proud unbound wings.
And I’m waiting for other brothers to come here
in this mountain peak waiting for them all,
as long as they don’t cry and fear living in this well-thought-out fraud.

To those who betrayed me by backstabbing me,
I want them to know that I will not bother to cry.
And to all my old loves,
I want them to know that I will not bother to cry.

And to those that threatened me with burning chains,
I want them to know that I will not bother with fear.
Let them come and find me at the mountain top,
I’m waiting for them and I will not bother with fear.

To those who betrayed me by backstabbing me,
I want them to know that I will not bother to cry.
And to all my old loves,
I want them to know that I will not bother to cry.

And to those that threatened me with burning chains,
I want them to know that I will not bother with fear.
Let them come and find me at the mountain top,
I’m waiting for them and I will not bother with fear.