The Rise Of The Golden Dawn

On the morning of January 5, 2018, Aljazeera reported a radical increase in the attacks on migrant populations living in Piraeus, a port town of Greece’s capital, Athens.  Some believe that the racially motivated attacks have been carried out by the Greek political party known as the Golden Dawn. Since Christmas 2017, over a 40 day period, more than 30 homes have been targeted.

Petros Constantinau, the National Director for Keerfa, an anti-racist group, has stated that the attacks have “been happening at least three times a week.” He further noted that anti-Muslim slogans have been spray painted on entrances and the walls of several homes. Constantinau believes the attacks are a part of a wider organized commission of hate crime because the assailants are always swiftly pulled away to safety, including being pulled into getaway cars after an attack. However, what is more concerning is that most believe the attacks are being carried out by Greece’s own Golden Dawn Political Party. Locals interviewed by Constantinau have claimed that “it seems the attacks are commissioned by the Golden Dawn, and they are coming back to teach new members how to attack migrants.” In an apparently unrelated statement, Golden Dawn said that “Islam is incapable of coexisting in western culture.”

The attacks, allegedly by Golden Dawn and other racist groups, are to be strongly condemned. It appears they are a reaction to the increase in migrant and refugee populations entering Greece as they attempt to restart their lives in the European Union. However, many find themselves in a protracted refugee situation and become ‘stuck’ placing huge strains on the country’s economy and social services. Political parties have throughout history found popularity in creating scapegoats to pin a nation’s problems on, whether that be the opposition or select groups within a population. It appears the Golden Dawn are using these attacks to reinforce their claim that the economic and social issues in Greece are created by Islamic migrants. The most conducive solution for peace now is for the international public to highlight and condemn such attacks, ensuring that they do not become normalized or widely accepted. By ensuring the general public are aware and fully informed of the darker side to Greece’s political parties, public opinion will be able to restrain the amount of power they have in the national parliament.

Greece, in both its distant and recent history, has a complicated relationship with migrant populations. The resurgence of Golden Dawn serves only to increase tension and unease. Golden Dawn is a hardline Greek neo-fascist political party with strong racist undertones. They currently hold 16 seats in the national parliament. Golden Dawn, according to Al Jazeera, have been responsible for attacks on migrants, refugees and political opponents in the past. For example, in 2013 two men linked to Golden Dawn fatally stabbed a 26-year-old Pakistani man on his way home from work. Later that year, Golden Dawn members killed the anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas. More recently, in October 2017, a group of men beat and stabbed a pair of Pakistani workers while yelling at them that they would burn the pair alive. As reported by Al Jazeera, between August 2016 and August 2017, there have been 80 attacks in Athens. To illustrate the recent spike, 75 of these attacks occurred in the first six months of 2017, and 47 are reported to be motivated by race. However, rights groups and monitors warn that the official statistics can be misleading because victims of hate crimes rarely report incidents to the police. While the Golden Dawn are growing fast in popularity and power, 69 of its members are currently on trial, accused of running criminal gangs. As Greece struggles to carry the weight of Europe’s migrant crisis, there is a trend amongst its population to look more favourably at the xenophobic promises and remedies provided by the Golden Dawn. It would be dangerous to overlook or ignore this trend as it gains momentum.

Megan Fraser

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