photo: spiegelonline
One of the untold truths about countries that are left to falter or find themselves in harsh economic times is that people look for comfort in the worst places.
Such is the case in Greece, where many are finding themselves at a loss to explain the crushing depression that has engulfed their country and think that extreme right wing ideology, which calls for separation from the EU among other things, is the answer to their woes.
Just this week 1,000 steel booted thugs gathered at the Municipal theatre in Piraeus, where they marched and unfurled giant red flags with black swastikas on them.
The neo nazi party, ill disguised with the name of Golden Dawn, is gaining strength by the minute.
A speech followed, which was greeted by a form of nazi salute. Then they left to march through the streets. People hid and scampered as their sight.
The neo nazis group has been sowing terror for a while now, trying to stir the people of Greece into some sort of secessionist frenzy. They have been responsible for multiple attacks against, who else, foreigners, homosexual and left party members.
The neo nazis group has been sowing terror for a while now, trying to stir the people of Greece into some sort of secessionist frenzy. They have been responsible for multiple attacks against, who else, foreigners, homosexual and left party members.
They are so feared by now, that some areas of Athens where minorities, or foreigners, do not venture out at night for fear of being attacked. Foreign business owners have had to shutter their place of business, and journalists who have critized the neo nazi group have been assaulted or threatened.
Many see an incredibly close parallel to the Weimar Republic's days before the putsch.
What is more frightening is that the neo nazi party went from a voting result of just 0.29 in the previous election to over 7% in the last election, which has secured them 18 seats in the country's parliament.
Polls speaks of an even greater threat. Support from the people is almost 12%. If put together with another right wing group already in existence, the coalition could garner almost 20% of the vote.
Human rights watchdog groups have already tallied hundreds of violent incidents at the hand of the new 'stormtroopers'. What is worse, the police seems to have become in some way affiliated with the groups and therefore victims often do not report the attacks in fear. Failure to prosecute the attacks is a failure of the country in general to protect and uphold the democratic principles they so cherish and extol.
The neo-nazis are in fact so emboldened, that the leader of Golden Dawn publicly slapped a Communist member of parliament on a tv talk show.
Some of the members of Golden Dawn have attacked hospitals to scare off foreign nurses and patients.
Just this week, bangladeshi farm workers were shot at by farm owners in a show of xenophobia that is symptomatic of the current right wing delusion that is taking hold in that country.
Most of the Parliamentary representative of Golden Dawn are currently under investigation and procedures have been initiated to revoke their immunity. That has not deterred the neo nazi party. They feel that with as high an approval rating as they enjoy, they are practically untouchable.
In fact they are so bold and open about their objectives that they have made connections with the German counterparts. Some of the German neo nazis have travelled to Greece to show their support and give speeches together.
Greek law does not have any provisions for hate or racist crimes. That leaves prosecutors with no tools to go after the criminals in the party who are roaming the streets.
Source: Spiegel Online 4.19.13
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