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Old October 5th, 2013 #4841
Gordon Green
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A glance at Greece's Golden Dawn defendantshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breakingw...s/ci_24221091/





Quote:
Originally Posted by The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece—Six leading lawmakers from Greece's far-right Golden Dawn Party were arrested in the last week following a probe into the party's alleged illegal activities. The arrests came after anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas was stabbed to death last month, allegedly by a man involved in Golden Dawn. Here's a look at the six lawmakers:


Nikos Michaloliakos

The 56-year-old extreme rightist founded the Golden Dawn party in the early 1980s and spent decades trying to galvanize support. He was jailed in the late 1970s for his connection to a string of bombings of that included movie theaters screening films from the Soviet Union. For years, he wrote articles praising Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, but he dropped the wartime references in recent years, describing Hitler only as "a great historic personality."

Golden Dawn was a fringe party for much of its existence but its support exploded after Greece sank into a financial crisis in 2009 and the party began patrols in areas with high crime, which it blamed on immigrants. In 2012, Golden Dawn rose to win nearly 7 percent of the vote and 18 seats in the 300-member Parliament. It's now the country's third most popular party.

Ilias Kasidiaris

The 33-year-old special forces veteran is a rising star in Golden Dawn, a spokesman who is openly racist, athletic and prone to explosive outbursts. He has a university education, a swastika tattoo on his arm. He won notoriety last year after slapping Communist lawmaker Liana Kanelli, 59, in the face on live television. He has already declared himself to be a candidate for mayor of Athens in the vote next year.

Christos Pappas

The son of an army lieutenant general who was staunchly loyal to Greece's 1967-74 military dictatorship, the 51-year-old Pappas is a top party ideologue with links to European fascists. He started a publishing company in the mid-1990s selling extreme-right literature, when Golden Dawn saw an increase of interest amid a wave of nationalism sweeping the Balkans after the fall of Communism in eastern Europe. Police say his home in northwest Greece was filled with Nazi memorabilia.

Ilias Panagiotaros

Burly and bald, the 40-year-old Panagiotaros runs a sports goods and army surplus store. Considered one of the party's chief activists, he once led an ultra-nationalist football fan group. Panagiotaros speaks fluent English and often stands at the front of party protests aimed at aggressively disrupting opponents' gatherings. He also played a significant role in supporting Golden Dawn's vigilante-style patrols of run-down neighborhoods and its Greeks-only food distributions.

Yiannis Lagos

There's no mistaking Lagos, 41, with his muscular physique and a handlebar mustache that he recently grew out into a full beard. He represents a run-down area west of Athens where Golden Dawn has made significant gains and where the left-wing rapper Fyssas was stabbed to death. The area is a political battleground with the far left. Lagos is at the center of the current criminal probe: he was remanded in custody pending trial—the only lawmaker to be jailed. A date has not been set.

Nikos Michos

The 44-year-old is a close ally of Michaloliakos. He rarely seeks the limelight but is a front-line member of the party's aggressive public actions, including party inspections of open air markets, aimed largely at rooting out immigrants.
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4842
Gordon Green
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Golden Dawn: five things to know about Greece's 'neo-Nazi' partyhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europ...is-Golden-Dawn


Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Walsh


The leader of Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Mihaloliakos, was jailed today pending trial – the latest move in the Greek government's crackdown against the racist political party, which has seen 21 of its members arrested, including five parliamentarians. Mr. Mihaloliakos himself faces charges of running a criminal organization. But just who is Golden Dawn and why is the government arresting its members?

- Jason Walsh, Correspondent




Who is Golden Dawn?

Golden Dawn is an extreme nationalist party in Greece that has risen to prominence in the last two years.

The party, with its anti-immigration rhetoric, provision of parallel social services, propensity for street violence, and, some say, Nazi-like logo has attracted attention the world over. It has frequently been linked to attacks on immigrants and leftists, and its politics are not only nationalistic and anti-immigrant, but markedly racist, anti-Muslim, anti-Turk, and anti-Semitic.

While it is very much a minority group, Golden Dawn's rise indicates a hardening of attitudes in Greece.

Founded in 1987, but with a prehistory dating back to 1980, Golden Dawn was an insignificant party until well after the economic crisis hit, polling just 1 percent of the vote in 2009.

But in 2012, it tapped into Greek resentment over the austerity demanded by Europe in exchange for two bailouts and boosted its support to 7 percent, earning it 21 seats in Greece's 300-seat parliament. (A subsequent election reduced its seats to 18.)

A recent opinion poll, taken prior to the arrests, put the party's support at 15 percent, though most Greek sources say that has dropped to around 7 percent since the crackdown.


What is driving Golden Dawn's popularity?

Economic misery, primarily.

Greece's economy has collapsed since the 2008 financial crisis, and the two EU-IMF bailouts have come with hefty strings attached in the form of austerity measures, ranging from job losses to the sale of public assets. Unemployment is extremely high, with the Hellenic Statistical Authority announcing a jobless rate of 27.4 percent in March. This is highest unemployment rate recorded by a European country in the past three decades. The Labor Institute of the General Confederation of Greek Workers, a labor union research body, this week predicted it would rise to 34 percent by 2016.

Golden Dawn's rise has been as the result of a three-pronged strategy: exploiting anger at the EU, Germany in particular; blaming immigrants for Greece's troubles; and running its own social services including food banks.

In addition, widespread anger at former governing party – the center-left Pasok, which is widely perceived as corrupt – has benefited left- and right-wing parties alike.

The proximate cause, however, was the murder of a 44-year-old man in Athens. In May 2011, Manolis Kantaris was walking his pregnant wife to their car en route to maternity hospital when he was attacked and killed by two men – both Afghan immigrants. The incident fueled violent clashes between immigrants and Greeks, particularly members of Golden Dawn. Golden Dawn's vote increased sevenfold the following year.

Golden Dawn is a product of fear, says Nikos Sotirakopoulos, a Greek research assistant at the University of Kent in Britain, who is currently organizing a series of debates in Athens on his country's precarious political situation.

"The main reason [Golden Dawn grew] was they gave an easily absorbable narrative for the crisis. They said it was the 'Jew bankers' ripping up our country. They also provided services and set-up [paramilitary police] squads in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations, taking old ladies to the ATM and so on," he told The Christian Science Monitor.

Greece is one of Europe's main entry points for immigrants from the Middle East. But Mr. Sotirakopoulos says perceptions of immigrant criminality promoted by Golden Dawn are a pure scare tactic, one that goes along with intentionally targeting immigrants for attack.

"We know they were terrorizing immigrants. Interestingly, in some islands and small towns where there is virtually no immigrant population, and no immigrant crime problem, they had their best results," he said.


Why is the government cracking down on Golden Dawn now?

The rise of the far-right party has long been a thorn in the side of the government, damaging Greece's reputation internationally. But the crackdown's trigger was the Sept. 18 murder of Pavlos Fyssas, an anti-racist, anti-fascist rapper who used the stage name of Killah P. He was stabbed in Athens by a man alleged to have ties to Golden Dawn.

The government response was immediate, with senior members of the party arrested, though several have now been released on bail. Members have been arrested for homicide, attempted homicide, money laundering, blackmail, grievous bodily harm, and other crimes, while leader Nikolaos Mihaloliakos has been charged with founding and participating in a criminal organization.

Government rhetoric has been tough, with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, leader of the center right New Democracy party, describing Golden Dawn as "Nazi descendants." In a televised address to the nation, Mr. Samaras described the group as “our enemies," saying he would not allow them to "poison our social life, to commit crimes, terrorize and undermine the foundations of the country that gave birth to democracy."

The timing is not favorable. Greece is in crucial phase of its debt negotiations and preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the EU in January.

But there are signs that the crackdown has been in the works for some time. The newspaper Eleftherotypia (Freedom of the Press) reported on Sept. 26 that authorities had Golden Dawn under surveillance for several months prior to the arrests.

While critics of the government have frequently charged that Golden Dawn has penetrated the Greek police – a claim denied by, among others, the prime minister – shortly before the crackdown two senior policemen resigned, seven were transferred, and the head of the country's intelligence service was replaced.

Though Golden Dawn has inspired horror among both the left and the mainstream right, the crackdown against the group has raised some concerns about democracy and freedom of speech. Nikos Konstandaras, journalist with center right Greek newspaper I Kathimerini (The Daily), wrote that the move "went a long way toward restoring faith in the country's institutions and the state," but warned Golden Dawn members must be prosecuted for actual crimes, not subjected to a "political pogrom."


What does Golden Dawn say for itself?

The party vehemently denies being neo-Nazi, writing on its website: "The only reason they call us 'Neo-Nazi' is because we are a country in Europe, the Occident, and they know if they use that term, they can get other Europeans to think we are crazed lunatics rather than normal people with families and a culture we want to protect."

It says it is a Greek nationalist party with ideals "based primarily on that of ancient Sparta," the ancient Greek city-state known for its military prowess. The party pours scorn on the idea of Greece being the cradle of democracy, noting only ancient Athens was a democracy and citing Plato's opposition to democracy.

Party MP Artemis Matthaiopoulos told London's Independent newspaper the charges against his colleagues were "baseless and built on rumors."

Golden Dawn did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Christian Science Monitor.
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4843
Gordon Green
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Greece's Golden Dawn: A Wake-up Call for Europehttp://truth-out.org/opinion/item/18...all-for-europe




Quote:
Originally Posted by Christopher Lawrence

It is hard to convey the experience of economic and political collapse in Greece. In Athens, the city center is full of vacant, graffiti-covered storefronts. The only businesses that seem to be thriving are the pawn shops and the huge open-air heroin market that the police are apparently tolerating in the student neighborhood of Exarchia. For the first time since WWII, many Greeks are faced with hunger, homelessness and a lack of basic health care. Schools are struggling to provide lunch to the growing number of malnourished children. The public health system has collapsed, a sacrifice to austerity. HIV infection rates have doubled, and malaria is on the rise. Suicides have increased dramatically. The legitimacy of the political system, which was long dominated by two mainstream parties - the center-left PASOK and the center-right New Democracy - is under threat because of the parties' inability to offer either an alternative to the current austerity regime or a plausible strategy for surviving it. In the midst of this crisis, the neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn has become the fastest growing political movement in Greece, with some placing support above 20 percent.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. When Greece entered the European Union in the early '80s, hopes were high that it signaled a new era. Despite the common tendency toward fatalism, many Greeks hoped that the sad history of 20th century ethno-nationalism, a history of war, occupation and dictatorships, had finally closed. Now they feel that the rug has been pulled out from under them. Suddenly the beneficence of the EU, much of which was diverted into the pockets of the politicians and financiers with a nod and a wink, has become a noose around their necks. Among the Greek middle class, - which, thanks to the EU, has grown to include most farmers, small craftsmen and clerical workers - feelings of frustration and injustice are palpable. Not only has their new-found prosperity collapsed like a huge pyramid scam, but they are being pilloried in the international press as a bunch of lazy welfare cheats.

With Greece looking more and more like the Weimar Republic, Golden Dawn has found success following the Nazi playbook. Golden Dawn was founded in 1980 under the leadership of right-wing fanatic Nikolaos Michaloliakos. During the '80s and '90s, Golden Dawn was a tiny party on the far-right lunatic fringe. Their fetish for Nazi regalia won them few supporters in a country that had suffered horribly from the German occupation. Among other things, they claimed Christianity was a Jewish plot and advocated a return to worshiping the ancient Greek gods, positions which did not sit well with traditionally devout right-wing Greek nationalists. After several unsuccessful attempts to merge with other right-wing groups, Golden Dawn finally muted their more bizarre positions and concentrated on promoting a neo-fascist philosophy they branded as "social nationalism." They also shifted their recruiting efforts from the old right-wing organizations to the new generation of apolitical soccer hooligans.

Unlike other Greek far-right groups, who tend to get bogged down in obscure ideological debates, Golden Dawn, from the early '90s on, emphasized street-fighting and other forms of direct action. These tactics are attractive to many young men schooled in soccer violence. Gangs of Golden Dawn thugs in black tee shirts began appearing at Communist and anarchist protests and instigating brawls, sometimes resulting in serious injuries. Several prominent Golden Dawn members have been charged with assault or attempted murder as a result of party actions. During the Bosnian conflict, Golden Dawn supplied volunteers for a Greek unit of the Bosnian Serb army, some of whom participated in the siege and massacre at Srebrenica in 1995. There are also reports that Golden Dawn infiltrated the protests of 2008 that followed the police killing of a young anarchist and acted as provocateurs in the subsequent riots that resulted in widespread destruction and two deaths.

Still, despite the increasingly provocative actions of its thugs, Golden Dawn remained a politically marginal group. In the 2009 elections, their candidates polled only .3% of the vote for the Greek Parliament. In the vote for the European Parliament, a more reliable gauge of political sympathies, they received a mere .5%. The turning point for Golden Dawn came with the debt crisis that pushed Greece into economic depression. The economic collapse also brought down the mainstream political parties, PASOK and New Democracy, both of which had bound themselves to European neoliberal policies and were now left holding the bag. With the mainstream parties discredited and the government on the verge of bankruptcy and disintegration, a dangerous vacuum was created. The economic crisis is often attributed to endemic corruption in Greek society, but the major responsibility lies with the EU, which has failed to adequately address the structural problems of joining the economies of the poorer southern European countries to those of the richer north.

In retrospect, the spread of the euro economy was something of a pyramid scam for the peripheral economies of southern Europe. The fact is that the core economies of Europe, especially Germany, benefited from the euro more than anyone else. The opening of markets in southern Europe, and the low exchange rate of the euro relative to the old deutschmark, guaranteed huge profits for the financiers and industrial giants of northern Europe. That is why, when Greece presented its application for Eurozone membership with blatantly doctored economic statistics, the EU was willing to suspend disbelief in order to secure Greek membership. Greek companies were soon gobbled up and a significant portion of the loans and subsidies sent to Greece returned in the form of consumer purchases. Capital investments proved illusory, and instead money was pumped into a real estate bubble. As a result, many Greeks came to depend on subsidies and other forms of assistance such as state-funded jobs and loans to finance their upward mobility. The problem was that the EU saw this assistance as a temporary means of attaining hegemony. Under the logic of neoliberal market economics, productivity would eventually have to be increased through economic consolidation and a reduction in labor costs. When the debt piled up and the whole scheme began to unravel, the Europeans demanded steep reductions in wages and social benefits as well as a fire sale on whatever property the Greek state still owned.

Greeks, like other southern Europeans, were able to temporarily postpone the day of reckoning through an unforeseen development; the massive immigration of low-cost labor from Eastern Europe, and later Southwest Asia. Immigrants, now estimated to make up around 10 percent of Greece's population, enabled Greece to survive the open markets of the EU by reducing labor costs without succumbing to the expropriation and consolidation of landholdings and small businesses required under capitalist development. Unfortunately this arrangement was predicated on keeping immigrant wages low, a brutal process that encouraged a resurgence of racism and ethnic nationalism. In effect, a new proletariat of illegal immigrants was created, whose extreme exploitation was justified by racist notions of ethnic identity. Their "illegal" status meant that, although they were a necessary part of the Greek economy, they were excluded from social and political rights, including minimum wage laws. Even before the crisis, Greece, like the rest of Europe, was moving toward a system of de facto apartheid where immigrants are economically exploited, but legally excluded from the rights of citizenship. The brutality faced by immigrants has increased as their wages have fallen. In one of the worst examples, in April of 2013, 28 Bengali migrants working on a strawberry farm were shot by foremen during a dispute over unpaid wages.

The political disintegration and economic chaos brought about by the austerity regime has provided fertile ground for Golden Dawn. For many Greeks, faith in the post-national cosmopolitanism of the EU has been replaced by conspiracy theories of German economic domination. It is not hard to see why, given the ruthlessness of austerity measures aimed at protecting European financial interests. The rise of a popular, militant nationalism is a logical, if misguided, reaction on the part of the middle and lower classes when faced with the impotence of the mainstream political parties. Golden Dawn has proven adept at seizing the attention of Greeks through their shrill anti-capitalist (and anti-Semitic) jingoism and paranoid conspiracy theories. And through a convenient sleight of hand, they offer up immigrants as convenient and vulnerable scapegoats for the growing disintegration of Greek society. This enables them to carry out a continuous stream of public actions that position them as defenders of the Greek people against foreign threats. In response to rising crime rates, Golden Dawn offers escort services for the elderly. They regularly attack immigrants in the streets, chase immigrants from public parks and kick them off buses. In response to the collapse of the health-care system, Golden Dawn has started a "Greeks-only" blood bank.

Despite the rhetoric of Golden Dawn, the expulsion of immigrants is an unlikely scenario that would alienate many farmers and small business owners. Even with the astronomical rise in unemployment, Greeks are not lining up to take jobs that pay such low wages. For this to happen, the labor of Greeks would have to be devalued much more. Instead, it is more likely that virulent racism will be used to enforce slave-like conditions for immigrants. Already, web sites associated with Golden Dawn have floated the suggestion that illegal immigrants be held in labor camps and rented out to farmers to pay for their incarceration. Their strategy is to increase the exploitation of immigrants to subsidize Greek living standards in the face of global economic pressures.

The ability of Golden Dawn to divert popular anger from the EU brand of neoliberal capitalism to immigrants seems to have encouraged the Greek bourgeoisie to hedge their bets by offering support. The finances of Golden Dawn party are shrouded in mystery. Over the last two years, the organization has expanded rapidly, opening offices in virtually every Greek town and many villages and initiating a variety of social service programs. Where is the money coming from? Many Greeks believe they are being bankrolled by wealthy business owners afraid of the leftist coalition Syriza. Golden Dawn members of parliament recently voted against a law that would tighten tax regulations for ship owners, reportedly in exchange for a hefty contribution to the cause. Historically, the Greek bourgeoisie has often used the far right to maintain social order in periods of crisis. The prospect of an electoral victory by Syriza has provoked fear among both the Greek financial and political elite, who were by far the main beneficiaries during the years of corruption after Greece entered the EU, and the traditionally authoritarian security forces that protect them. There have been numerous anecdotal reports of police complicity in Golden Dawn actions. Analysis of recent voting patterns suggests that over 50 percent of the police now support Golden Dawn.

Golden Dawn may also be receiving some assistance from Russia. One of the novelties of Golden Dawn's brand of neo-Nazism is its antipathy toward Germany and strong links with Russian and Eastern European fascist groups. Russia has always been an important player in Greek politics due to its interests in the eastern Mediterranean. Many Greeks express admiration for the right-wing, nationalist government of Putin and his ability to stand up to European capitalists. And, as in Cyprus, there seems to be a lot of Russian money flowing into Greece. Russia is currently on a charm offensive in Greece, offering investment and aid in an obvious attempt to chip away at the EU periphery. A recent editorial in Pravda offered to make Greece a "prospering state in one year." Golden Dawn has strong connections to the ultra-nationalist group Russky Obraz, which in turn has shadowy connections to Russian secret police and Putin's political party, United Russia. It is entirely likely, even probable, that Russia sees Golden Dawn as an important element in its strategy to expand influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially in light of the threat to its bases in Syria.

Ironically, the best hope for the survival of the EU lies with the left opposition. After all, the social democratic parties around Europe were instrumental in the growth of the EU in the first place by enforcing various social benefits programs that cemented popular support. The chance of an electoral victory by the near-left coalition Syriza, however, grows more unlikely by the day. A Syriza victory is anathema to both the European finance capitalists, who insist on squeezing out the last drops of profit, and the Greek elite who prefer to use political repression in a short-sighted attempt to preserve their franchise. The financial mandarins of the EU have insisted that austerity is not negotiable and have threatened dire consequences in the event of a Syriza victory. The preclusion of any sort of democratic dialogue between Greece and the EU has pushed more people to the far right by exposing the neoliberal character of the EU regime. Critics have long complained of the "democratic deficit" and lack of accountability in EU governance. In particular, the power to set economic and monetary policies has been taken out of the hands of elected leaders. Greek voters, in effect, no longer have any choices. They must simply follow diktat. This situation has made the militantly anti-EU position of Golden Dawn much more attractive by discrediting the possibility of democratic, peaceful change.

It would be a mistake to think that the rise of Golden Dawn is a uniquely Greek problem. On the contrary, it is the seed that contains the destruction of the entire EU project. The responsibility for the rise of Golden Dawn reaches far outside the borders of Greece. To understand the rise of Golden Dawn we must look past the black-shirted thugs and simplistic ideology of racist nationalism to the genteel bankers and international financial speculators who are currently being allowed to brutalize entire populations in the search for profits. This story is not so different from what has happened before in other European countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal and even Germany where far-right extremists have ridden waves of popular anger to power. Golden Dawn proves that our fantasies of "post-nationalism" and "European integration" were premature. Economic and political inequality is still capable of producing violent paroxysms of ethnic nationalism. Until Europeans can learn to mitigate these effects of capitalism, they are bound to repeat its sad and painful history. Greece, which has always been the weakest of the Eurozone economies, is today the most extreme example of the effects of neoliberal austerity, but it is not unique. Unfortunately it is likely a harbinger of things to come.
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4844
Gordon Green
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Greek police want to check Golden Dawn phone calls over rapper deathhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/0...Name=worldNews





Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Papachristou and Renee Maltezou

The government has already asked judges to investigate the country's third-biggest party for evidence that might link it to the death of Pavlos Fissas, who was stabbed to death on Tuesday night after being ambushed by about 30 unknown assailants.

Police want to check the call logs of two Golden Dawn members of parliament and a local party chief to find out who called whom and when on the night Fissas was killed, a police official said on condition of anonymity.

From now on, any criminal activity believed to be carried out by Golden Dawn members or supporters would be taken up by the anti-terrorism squad, police said in a statement.

The government says it believes the party is a criminal organisation and a threat to public safety.

Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Dendias stripped Golden Dawn lawmakers of police guards on Friday, which all parliamentarians are entitled to.

The government has quarrelled for months over whether to ban Golden Dawn, which rose from obscurity to win 18 out of 300 seats in parliament last year, on a fiercely anti-immigrant and anti-corruption agenda.

"WITCH HUNT"

Golden Dawn says the suspect, a self-proclaimed supporter, was not a member of the party. It has repeatedly denied involvement in the attack and its leader, Nikos Mihaloliakos, said the party was a victim of a "witch hunt".

The seemingly politically-motivated killing of Fissas, who performed raps as Killah P, has outraged Greek society, divided by years of economic hardship. Rallies to mark his death have been held in several cities, and some have turned violent.

The 45-year-old man who admitted to stabbing Fissas was due to appear before a prosecutor on Saturday. He has been pictured in Greek media arm in arm with a Golden Dawn lawmaker.

Media have published photographs of him participating in Golden Dawn activities and groups, including a paramilitary-style security unit and "Greeks-only" food handouts.

Centre-left newspaper Ethnos, quoting a former party activist who declined to be named, said the security unit was the under direct control of one of the Golden Dawn lawmakers and the local party chief, whose phones authorities want to screen.

Golden Dawn lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris said on Friday that the party planned to sue Dendias for "false accusations" as well as all TV stations, newspapers and politicians "who defame Golden Dawn and threaten a legal political party".

The party's emblem resembles a swastika and its members have been seen giving Nazi salutes but the party rejects the neo-Nazi label.

A step-by-step approach, beginning with the prosecution of individual members would be a more adequate way to deal with the party, government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said.

The government on Thursday passed on to Greece's highest civilian court a file containing 32 cases of suspected crimes linked to members of Golden Dawn, including four knife attacks on immigrants, one of which was fatal.

Judges are expected to investigate whether these incidents form the pattern of a criminal organisation. According to court officials, this would not lead to a direct ban of the party but raise penalties on those who instigated and perpetrated them.
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4845
Gordon Green
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Greece Pledges Crackdown on ‘Neo-Nazi’ Golden Dawn Partyhttp://www.voanews.com/content/greec...n/1753980.html





Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Ridgewell

LONDON — Greece has pledged to crack down on far right party Golden Dawn after it was accused of involvement in the killing of a left-wing activist. The party denies any involvement. Golden Dawn is also accused of dozens of attacks on immigrants and its opponents. Political analysts see the party's growing support as a symptom of a so-called crisis of democracy in Greece.

There have been daily demonstrations in Athens and other Greek cities since the fatal stabbing of activist and rapper Pavlos Fissas Tuesday night.

The main suspect is a self-proclaimed supporter of Golden Dawn - though the party insists he is not a member.

On Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras issued a warning. He pledged that his government is determined not to allow the descendants of Nazis to poison lives, to commit crimes, to terrorize, and to undermine the foundations of the country that gave birth to democracy.

Golden Dawn’s leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos strongly rejected those accusations.

"Golden Dawn has said that it condemns this specific tragic event and others." he said. "It condemns every act of violence. But this is not enough for the ‘holy inquisition’ of Greece in 2013, created by this bailout government. They should know that they will not succeed in their plans."

Greek police have asked for permission to check Golden Dawn lawmakers’ phone records on the night of the killing. Local media say prosecutors are investigating 32 allegations of violent attacks by party members.

Authorities are using existing legislation to take on Golden Dawn, rather than trying to ban the party, says Dionyssis Dimitrakopoulos of Birkbeck College, University of London. (Really? All the headlines say BAN)

“First of all, use criminal legislation and secondly, use the counter-terrorism legislation and squad that exists in Greece, which is foreign-trained… They [Golden Dawn] behave from what I can see like a criminal gang," he said. "And a case could possibly be made that in fact, this is a terrorist group.”

Golden Dawn caused shock waves when it took seven percent of the vote in 2012 to become Greece’s third biggest party. Its campaigns are fiercely anti-immigrant.

Party supporters wear black tops and military fatigues; their symbol closely resembles a swastika.

But Golden Dawn denies being a neo-Nazi movement.

“There is some support for this neo-Nazi group even in parts of Greece where there is no direct major problem of criminality...or significant numbers of illegal immigrants,” said Dionyssis Dimitrakopoulos.

The traditional explanation is that, at times of economic crisis and soaring unemployment, Greeks are turning to extreme politics. But Dimitrakopoulos says there is a deeper cause rooted in the political response to the debt crisis.

“The Greek political establishment no longer commands the legitimacy that it used to command or it should command," he said. "So ordinary Greeks, at least between elections, find it too easy to say that they would consider voting for that kind of party.”

In January, Greece takes over the rotating presidency of the European Council, and political analysts say the government is desperate to show that it is capable of fighting extremism.
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4846
Fabrizio
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Quote:
NO we will not revolt and we will not fall into their traps to spiral the country into civil war.

When the problem is 1000 civilians, among ten million, you dont revolt you just eliminate surgically the problem.
Correction!
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4847
Gordon Green
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Greece plans new anti-racism law amid Golden Dawn crackdownhttp://townhall.com/news/world/2013/...kdown-n1713124





Quote:
Originally Posted by Reuters News

ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek government said on Monday it would soon present a bill targeting racist hate speech, part of a crackdown on the far-right Golden Dawn party after the killing of an anti-fascist rapper.

"(The bill) will be submitted to parliament in a matter of days. It has symbolic and moral value," Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos told reporters, adding that it would align Greek legislation with European standards.

Greece's ruling coalition had been at loggerheads over whether it needed a new anti-racism law to deal with racist and inflammatory talk used by Golden Dawn.

Venizelos's Socialist PASOK party had pushed for a new law, while the main ruling conservative party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had argued that current legislation was enough.

But the murder of rapper Pavlos Fissas on September 17 by a Golden Dawn supporter prompted a crackdown on Greece's third-most popular party, whose fierce anti-immigrant rhetoric has attracted support amid a severe economic crisis.

Golden Dawn leader Nikolaos Mihaloliakos and four other party lawmakers are due to appear in court this week to respond to charges of forming a criminal organization.

The government is also preparing another law that would suspend Golden Dawn's state funding on the grounds that its leadership is facing prosecution on felony charges.

"Democracy can't fund its opponents," Venizelos said.

Golden Dawn features a swastika-like emblem and its members have been seen giving Nazi salutes. Prosecutors are investigating the party for links to about 30 violent attacks, including the killing of the rapper and a Pakistani immigrant.

The party has denied any connection to the rapper's death and also rejects the neo-Nazi label.

An outright ban of a political party is difficult under Greek law. The government plans instead to undermine Golden Dawn by cutting its money flows and dismantling its leadership.
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4848
Gordon Green
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Greece: Golden Dawn’s popularity from ‘economic crisis and lack of immigration policy’http://www.euronews.com/2013/10/04/g...-and-lack-of-/





Quote:
Originally Posted by euronews.com

As the Greek government continues its crackdown on politicians of the far-right Golden Dawn, the party remains the third most popular in the country.

Tzina Dimopoulou is a Greek housewife who stood as a candidate for Golden Dawn in Athens in the last elections. She believes the government are scared by their popularity.

“These are clearly political prosecutions. The government is afraid of the rise in nationalism. Nobody can say we have democracy here when 5,500 people have committed suicide due to the economic crisis,” Dimopoulou said.

Golden Dawn supporters say immigrants are to blame for high crime rates. Those from other countries living in Greece counter that they are often the victims of racist violence from extremists.

Javent Aslam is the president of the Pakistani Community in Greece. He says he hopes the Greek Government is serious about dealing with Golden Dawn.

“I hope it’s not just a political show. Maybe then we would be convinced that justice and the government have done their job. I just hope it is not a political show. We want to believe in this, but the next few weeks or months will show the truth,” Aslam said.

Euronews correspondent in Athens, Michalis Arampatzoglou, says that Greek society is traditionally anti-fascist but that the economic crisis and the lack of immigration policy were the main reasons for Golden Dawn’s rise. He says that analysts forecast that the prosecution against the far-right party is not going to be enough to eliminate the origins of this phenomenon.
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4849
littlefieldjohn
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Default New poll shows Golden Dawn support rising higher than before arrests, generating sympathy from public

A new Zougla poll:

Quote:
The party which is simultaneously slandered by mass media, politically persecuted by the state, and has its supporters violently terrorized by the reactionary Left wing of the globalist vulture continues to smash through all the barricades put up against us. With 15% of the people’s backing, compared to the IMF and Wall Street backed SYRIZA and New Democracy, who are tied at 19%, we are now within a breath of being on top.
http://xaameriki.wordpress.com
 
Old October 5th, 2013 #4850
Serbian
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Golden Dawn New York Division Holds Conference on Recent Events.

Posted by xaameriki on October 5, 2013

Posted in: Uncategorized. 1 comment



Greek Nationalists and comrades from all over the tri-state area came in large numbers in light of the recent persecutions of the people’s nationalist movement.

The conference went over the topics of ideology and our intensified effort to respond to the Greek government treason against our food distribution efforts to Greece. The government’s decision to block the freedom for Greeks to help other Greeks has enraged the Greek-American community and has instigated a tremendous mobilization of action.

Many members of the Greek community in Astoria see the blatant hypocrisy. Jewish community representatives such as the World Jewish Congress, order Antonis Samaras to ban the voice of 500,000 Greek voters on the grounds of our “extreme nationalism“, while at the same time their leaders support the extreme nationalist Likud party in Israel, which is extremely anti immigrant and practices racially based nationalism.

The true Hellenic patriots do not back down, and those Greek-American lobbyists who slander Golden Dawn are nothing more than puppets of the Zionist-Samaras alliance who benefit financially from the treason against Greece!

Long Live Greece! Hellenism will prevail over treason! ΖΗΤΩ Η ΕΛΛΑΣ!


http://xaameriki.wordpress.com/2013/...recent-events/
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Old October 6th, 2013 #4851
Tiwaz
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Default Renew Constantinos account-Deukalion is his new name

Constantinos Is my friend from Golden Dawn, he have account here, but didn't be here long time ago, so I invite him and he can't activate account, Deukalion (Constantinos) forgot that have account here, he can't write, anything!!! I just want to ask, can his account, Constantinos, be renewed??? He made new account and his name is Deukalion, just to know, so you don't think he want double account!!!
Just ban his old name Constantinos and new name-Deukalion is his today account!!!
 
Old October 6th, 2013 #4852
Deukalion
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ahnenerbe View Post
Constantinos Is my friend from Golden Dawn, he have account here, but didn't be here long time ago, so I invite him and he can't activate account, Deukalion (Constantinos) forgot that have account here, he can't write, anything!!! I just want to ask, can his account, Constantinos, be renewed??? He made new account and his name is Deukalion, just to know, so you don't think he want double account!!!
Just ban his old name Constantinos and new name-Deukalion is his today account!!!
Hello all! I'm Deukalion and I'm from Greece. My friend Ahnenerbe invited me here.

I plan to be active on this forum, so I shall definitely be speaking with you guys soon.

Sidenote : Like Ahnenerbe said if anyone can, please delete my old account Constantinos.

Thanks in advance!
 
Old October 6th, 2013 #4853
EllasHoplite
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Greetings all! I'm EllasHoplite and I'm Greek, just like Deukalion. Ahnenerbe has invited me to this forum.
 
Old October 6th, 2013 #4854
panos
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Welcome Ahnenerbe and Deukalion. We meet again . Good to see more Greeks (and other Europeans) joining! Now I can have some help keeping our friends here informed about GD (something I admit I've been neglecting doing lately).
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Old October 6th, 2013 #4855
Deukalion
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Quote:
Originally Posted by panos View Post
Welcome Ahnenerbe and Deukalion. We meet again . Good to see more Greeks (and other Europeans) joining! Now I can have some help keeping our friends here informed about GD (something I admit I've been neglecting doing lately).
Hello Panos! Glad to see you here too!

Don't worry I'll help with keeping people informed here
 
Old October 6th, 2013 #4856
panos
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As for the latest events, I think this video of Kasidiaris reading protocol number 19 from the protocols of the elders of Zion was somewhat prophetic...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=6OZWweTfck4
Quote:
"I'm going to read a few lines, of a passage, written in the past century -an authentic passage-, that describes perfectly what we're facing today, as members of the Nationalist movement: In order to destroy the prestige of heroism of our political rivals, we shall send them for trial in the category of thieving, murder, and every kind of abominable and filthy crime.
1903, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Chapter 19"
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Old October 6th, 2013 #4857
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Default Racial Salute

Quote:
Originally Posted by panos View Post
Welcome Ahnenerbe and Deukalion. We meet again . Good to see more Greeks (and other Europeans) joining! Now I can have some help keeping our friends here informed about GD (something I admit I've been neglecting doing lately).
I am glad to see you on VNN!!! If I ask I would bring all Greeks here from other forums witch don't respect Greece and Golden Dawn!!! I saw some forum with Macedonian section and with out Greece section, Basque section, Cathalonia section and few so stupid sections, but Greece section is not there!!!
 
Old October 6th, 2013 #4858
Solskeniskyn
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Good to see more Greeks joining, it's always immensly interesting and of vital importance to get updates and viewpoints from the people actually on the ground.

Welcome!
 
Old October 6th, 2013 #4859
snowglobe
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ahnenerbe View Post
Constantinos Is my friend from Golden Dawn, he have account here, but didn't be here long time ago, so I invite him and he can't activate account, Deukalion (Constantinos) forgot that have account here, he can't write, anything!!! I just want to ask, can his account, Constantinos, be renewed??? He made new account and his name is Deukalion, just to know, so you don't think he want double account!!!
Just ban his old name Constantinos and new name-Deukalion is his today account!!!
I hope that this can be resolved and we can welcome him.
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Originally Posted by SUNOFSPARTA View Post

Cops learned to "extrapolate" from bureaucrats who said they were estimating;except when civilians do this- it's called Lieing.:rolleyes:
 
Old October 6th, 2013 #4860
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Quote:
Originally Posted by panos View Post
Welcome Ahnenerbe and Deukalion. We meet again . Good to see more Greeks (and other Europeans) joining! Now I can have some help keeping our friends here informed about GD (something I admit I've been neglecting doing lately).
You are Panos from SF?
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Originally Posted by SUNOFSPARTA View Post

Cops learned to "extrapolate" from bureaucrats who said they were estimating;except when civilians do this- it's called Lieing.:rolleyes:
 
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