The recent murder is ΄adding fuel to the fire΄ in Lefkimmi

Getting a statement from the 44-year-old accused man, who is a fellow villager of the victim, was a long drawn-out process and it also took time to find the murder weapon at the side of the road near the village.

The two men had been arguing loudly in the village cafe in the presence of other patrons. It has been said that there had been disputes between the two for years due to the accused man's attitude to immigrants - the victim was from Albania. The argument, which had been about recent events (Macedonian issue and the Greek man who was killed in Albania), continued on the road and, according to the charges, the accused shot at the other man three times with his shotgun. Two of them hit him and the wounds proved fatal.

The victim's family started looking for him on Sunday night and his body was discovered on Monday close to the scene of the crime, as was revealed in the reenactment of the crime. The reenactment took place on Thursday in the presence of the prosecutor, coroner and defence lawyer and the accused was held at the police station until Saturday, with the murder weapon still missing. When he was being questioned he had mentioned various different locations, but it was eventually found. The charges were finally drawn up and the 44-year-old was taken to appear before the prosecutor and the investigating magistrate, where it was decided to remand him in custody.

In troubled Lefkimmi the operation of the landfill has led to continuous protests and often to aggression. Residents are divided as to whether Golden Dawn should be involved. This conflict has been going on for several months now and can be clearly seen in the social media - either directly from named posters or by allusion. A post from Lefkimmi Initiative for Struggle and Solidarity on social media links the murder of the 63-year-old with the acceptance of fascist and racist behaviour in the waste crisis - adding to the already fraught climate in the area.