The arrogant and furious ascent of the Golden Dawn, which unsurprinsingly garnered a significant representation in the Greek parliament, has been brought down, not by their politicking, but by the last, very public murder of an anti-nazi activist.
The world had shined a spotlight on Greece for a while. The Golden Dawn was seen by many as the largest single threat to the future of democracy in Europe, especially since it had solidified ties with other emerging neonazi groups in Hungary, Germany, Italy and even Scandinavia.
That last, because it was not the first as many thought, homicide, carried out in such a public way, finally shook the Greek people out of their torpor. It was chiefly due to the fact that it was one of them, and not one of the others, i.e., an immigrant laborer, who was killed, that finally produced results.
To play with the idea of a nationalist party like the Golden Dawn is to court disaster. But for beleaguered Greeks, it seemed as if the party was their only hope to one day escape the misery of their days. But such support from the people only emboldened the neo-nazi party to further acts of violence.
For a while now, the Golden Dawn had terrorized and vandalized migrant communities in Athens and other cities. They had killed before: three people have been murdered, and as many almost killed in random attacks. But before, their anger was directed primarily at migrants, and their acts were minimized or hidden by police collusion.
The last murder however, was of a Greek citizen. It took that, for the government to finally react in the proper manner.
Right now, their leader is in jail, and others are being rounded up. There is a sense at the party headquarters, that the neo-nazi group will not survive. To boot, the media is finally going all out in denouncing them, and is creating a media circus around the arrest of their leader, who until a few days ago was haranguing the Greek people from a parliamentary seat.
What remains in doubt however, even with significant pressure exercised from the European human rights commission, is the Greek government's dedication to stamp out this party. Half a million Greeks voted for Golden Dawn in two separate elections. Most of the voters are from the lesser educated, and live in non-urban places. These people do not see the Golden Dawn as a threat, but as the only means to escape the crushing austerity imposed on their country.
In fact, Golden Dawn had reached out to just these people, who are often the ones who are out of work or struggling, taking a page right out of Hitler's campaign during his ascent. For these people, the party represents the only intervention to ease their existence, so that their allegiance might have already been secured.
The Golden Dawn also has an unspoken relationship with prime minister Samaras, whose tendencies seem to sometimes run in line with those of the neo-nazi party. And since Golden Dawn is seen as speaking truth to power, many citizens are going to be loath to accept their ouster from politics.
Partial Source : AJ/ 10.3.13
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