2010s In an interview conducted by Nikos Evangelatos on
Skai TV in May 2012, Kasidiaris declined to condemn
Nazi leader
Adolf Hitler, stating that "his role in history will be judged in time". He reiterated his stance against
immigrants in Greece. Kasidiaris quoted
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in a 23 October 2012 speech to parliament. Defending himself in a discussion of whether to lift his parliamentary immunity over his assault of Kanelli, he quoted the passage, "In order to destroy the prestige of heroism we shall send them for trial in the category of theft, murder and every kind of abominable and filthy crime." Kasidiaris, as well as two of his Golden Dawn colleagues, had their parliamentary immunity revoked by a unanimous vote of the parliament. In mid-2013, while in the Hellenic Parliament, Kasidiaris said that he and other members of parliament were
Holocaust deniers. Οn 17 September 2013, Kasidiaris and a number of other Golden Dawn lawmakers were arrested on 28 September 2013 on charges of belonging to a criminal organisation. The charge sheet included murder, extortion, and involvement in the disappearance of up to 100 migrants. On 2 October 2013, Ilias Kasidiaris was released on a 50,000 euro bail. On 2 April 2014, Takis Baltakos and Ilias Kasidiaris were recorded on video discussing the incarceration of Golden Dawn lawmakers. Takis Baltakos, Samaras's most trusted adviser and chief of staff was filmed accusing Samaras of instigating a judicial inquiry against the Golden Dawn party for political gain. That week, parliament voted to lift the immunity from prosecution of five Golden Dawn deputies. Justice Minister Athanasiou and Citizen Protection Minister Dendias were also implicated in the video. Baltakos was forced to resign but then claimed that New Democracy and Golden Dawn had an informal alliance, with parliamentary voting support. The pre-trial detention and house arrest ahead of a trial was the most significant mass round-up of lawmakers since the military coup in 1967. On 10 July 2014, Kasidiaris was taken into custody in Koridalos prison, on a charge of weapons possession with the intent to supply a criminal organisation. On 1 July 2015, Kasidiaris was released from custody after the council of appeals court judges deemed that "the legal weight" of the offense was not adequate to justify detention. Kasidiaris was required to report regularly to his local police station and under the conditions of his release was not allowed to visit Golden Dawns political offices. After the infamous parliamentary disruption on 15 July 2015, where Ilias Kasidiaris tore up papers during debates over Greece’s third bailout, his political career continued into darker territory. Kasidiaris went on to become one of the leading figures of the neo-nazi party
Golden Dawn, which the
Athens Court of Appeals later determined was not just a political organization but a
criminal organization engaged in violence, attacks on immigrants and political opponents, and other serious crimes.
2020s In October 2020, the Athens Court of Appeals convicted Kasidiaris and other Golden Dawn members of directing and operating a criminal organisation in disguise, handing him a sentence of 13 years’ imprisonment, alongside all other senior members for the role they played at the head of the group. That landmark verdict followed revelations of violent, extremist actions tied to the party, including the murder of anti‑fascist artist Pavlos Fyssas and attacks on migrant workers, for which Golden Dawn members were also convicted. Although Kasidiaris continues to deny responsibility for specific violent acts and challenges elements of the case, the court’s judgment remains legally binding, and he is currently serving his sentence under Greek law. In 2020, Kasidiaris founded the
National Party – Greeks. Following the exclusion of the National Party from both the
May and
June 2023 elections, Kasidiaris announced its "full support" for the
Spartans political party. The Spartans party won 12 seats in the elections. In his first public statement after the election,
Vasilis Stigkas openly thanked Kasidiaris for "[being] the fuel that has propelled us to [entering parliament]". On 27 July 2023, Kasidiaris announced that he would run for mayor of
Athens. The Spartans political party fully supported him. His candidacy was made official on 10 August, and he was registered as a candidate on 10 September for the
2023 Athens Municipal Elections. On election day, he received 8,5% of the vote or 11,643 votes and he was elected to the Athens municipal council, but he has since resigned from the position. The Spartans were barred from participating in the
2024 European Parliament elections. In the 2024 European elections, Kasidiaris declared that he would vote for retired artillery officer Charalambos Giotis, head of a municipal faction in the municipality of Athens that was on the
Patriots party's ballot. Subsequently, the candidate received almost double the number of crosses from the party's president himself,
Prodromos Emfietzoglou. In 2025, a judicial investigation by the Prosecutor of Greece’s Supreme Civil and Criminal Court, led to the indictment of the entire parliamentary group for electoral fraud, with Kasidiaris also charged for instigating the fraud. In May 2025, the Court of Appeal unanimously acquitted all 11 accused MPs, including Kasidiaris, finding no evidence that they had misled voters. ==Televised Dourou–Kanelli assault ==