Greece moves to ban far-right Golden Dawn party

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Greece moves to ban far-right Golden Dawn party

Government to table emergency legislation after murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas at ultra-nationalist rally

Helena Smith in Athens
the guardian.com, Wednesday 18 September 2013 14.19 EDT

The Greek government has hinted that it will seek to ban Golden Dawn after the far-right party was linked to the murder of a leading leftwing musician in Athens.

As violence erupted on the streets and demonstrators protested after the fatal stabbing of Pavlos Fyssas, a prominent anti-fascist, the public order minister, Nikos Dendias, cancelled a trip abroad saying the government would table emergency legislation that would seek to outlaw the group.

Amid renewed political tensions between the extreme left and right, the new law would re-evaluate what constituted a criminal gang, he said.

"Neither the state will tolerate, nor society accept, acts and practices that undermine the legal system," the minister told reporters, adding that the attack showed "in the clearest way the party's intentions".



Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/18/greece-ban-golden-dawn-pavlos-fyssas

[trusty elf]

1. Good!

....though I'm not sure that banning the party will accomplish much.

When crushing austerity measures are imposed on a country this kind of extremism is likely to arise. The effin financial overlords couldn't care less, I suppose.

[Posteritatis]

2. It'll keep them out of the legislature, for one.

Neo-Nazis lost their right to get that sort of decision-making authority decades ago, and I wouldn't even give Golden Dawn the credit of the "neo" prefix given how unreconstructed about it they are.

Also, they aren't just an austerity thing. The party's been around since the sixties, and traces its descent to Metaxas. This party's been a problem for a long time.

[trusty elf]

4. Thanks. n/t

[ellenrr]

3. Pavlos Fyssas: “I won’t cry, I won’t fear”

These defiant lyrics by Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas, murdered by Golden Dawn thugs last night, display the fearlessness and hope he carried within him.

http://roarmag.org/2013/09/pavlos-fyssas-killah-p-lyrics/

[ck4829]

5. Truly sad that it took the murder of an innocent man to get this 'party' of psychopaths banned

[AllyCat]

6. I had no idea this had happened. The rightwingers have completely gone over the edge.

Peace to his family and the Greek people fighting right along with Mr. Fyssas.

[Marrah_G]

7. The Golden Dawn are just remade Nazis

Vice did a episode on them, scary shit.

[Posteritatis]

13. I wouldn't even grant them the "remade" part. (nt)

[Sunlei]

8. Should be made public in the usa names of hate group members and funders.

We need to know in the USA, who in politics and business supports hate groups.

[starroute]

11. Surprise, surprise -- their finances are "shrouded in mystery"

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/18239-greeces-golden-dawn-a-wake-up-call-for-europe

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.

[Sunlei]

12. yes. I think all the public of the world have a right to know if their officials are $upporter$

in my dreams some hacker group exposes the membership lists and the big money behind hate groups.

Nothing gets rid of cockroaches better than exposure to light

[starroute]

9. Golden Dawn had also recently attacked a group of communists

It's clear that they've adopted a Nazi-style tactic of using overt violence against their opponents in the expectation that the police would do nothing. The Guardian article quoted below suggests they're trying to incite civil war, but it's actually something more insidious. This kind of public violence was one of the hallmarks of the fascists and Nazis in the 1920s and 30s, both before and after they came to power. It substitutes the rule of terror for the rule of law and thus paves the way for direct state totalitarianism.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/13/greeks-protest-golden-dawn-attack-communists

13 September 2013

Thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens on Friday to protest against a violent attack on Communist party members by black-shirted supporters of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party which left nine people in hospital with serious injuries.

In what was described as a murderous attack – and the most serious violence since the extremist group was elected to the country's parliament last year – about 50 men wielding crowbars and bats set upon leftists as they distributed posters in a working-class district of the capital late on Thursday. . . .

Psarras argues the attack in the dock-side district of Perama – a Communist stronghold where Golden Dawn has made considerable inroads in recent years on the back of anger over austerity measures – was indicative of that strategy.

"It was very well organised and the most serious incident yet," he told the Guardian. "They are no longer only targeting immigrants in the middle of the night. They are deliberately increasing tensions, expanding their agenda of hate, by going for leftists."

[starroute]

10. It appears their thuggery goes back a good ways

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/18239-greeces-golden-dawn-a-wake-up-call-for-europe

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.

[backscatter712]

14. After WWII and the Nazis, Europe adopted a norm:

It was originally created for denazification, but it can be generalized.

You cannot use human rights to promote depriving others of human rights.

That's why you will go to jail in Germany if you do a Heil Hitler salute or display a swastika.

And I want to import some of that here.

If you're promoting the destruction of human rights, I want to throw your ass in jail.

I want to lock up characters like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Bryan Fischer - they all regularly advocate for depriving minorities of their civil liberties. Hell, we should lock up almost all of the Republican Party - every son-of-a-bitch who pushed for vote suppression, or for stop-and-frisk, or who want to keep millions of people regarded as "illegal people", thus kept virtually enslaved. It's only when there are harsh consequences for those who deprive others of rights, when rights will start getting the respect they should get.

[Zater]

15. and I thought right wingnuts in Europe were less crazy

I was wrong.