During the last 3 years in Greece, savage austerity imposed by the Troika (International
Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission) has crippled the country?s
economy. The austerity has led to a depression that is as bad, if not worse, as the Great
Depression was in the United States. Enjoying the atmosphere of anguish and despair
associated with economic depression, Golden Dawn has flourished, espousing an ideology of
hate. It is in effect a Fascist party that promotes anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and
misogynist chauvinism and has grown to become the third most popular political party in
the country. ---- It is this threat which led the Greek government to arrest the party?s
leadership and dozens of its followers after a Golden Dawn member fatally stabbed
anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas in September last year.
Some Golden Dawn members (including senior leaders) have also been charged by police with
bashing defenceless individuals, whom Golden Dawn deemed to be enemies, for causing
explosions and for blackmail. A police investigation that has been launched into the
party, but has failed to produce clear results. Beyond their racist, bigoted ideology,
Golden Dawn draws inspiration from the violent methods of the Nazi German regime of the
last century. Its members and supporters routinely whip themselves into a frenzy of hate
with torchlight rallies, demagogic rhetoric and stiff arm salutes.
Golden Dawn is promoting division between ethnic and religious communities in Greece. It
also promotes hateful attitudes towards women and espouses the marginalisation and
suppression of people who it deems to have an ?unnatural? sexuality. Tellingly, it denies
the Jewish Holocaust during World War II.
It is no accident that Golden Dawn has arisen in Greece at the present time. Fascism is
capitalism?s last line of defence, the refuge it seeks when all else fails and it needs to
crush the working class. As workers in Greece mobilised against the Troika?s brutal
austerity assault and the political establishment imploded, sections of Greek capitalists
turned to Fascism in order to protect their wealth and privilege. If capitalist democracy
cannot save Greek capitalism, Golden Dawn is in the background to impose capitalist
dictatorship.
Golden Dawn was planning a visit to Australia in late November by Eleftherios Synadinos
and Georgios Epitideios. They are former army generals and are Members of the European
Parliament (MEPs) representing Golden Dawn.
This planned visit was cancelled after organising against it started to get up a head of
steam and the Fascist MEPs? visas were delayed. An antifascist group in Melbourne, centred
on workers of Greek background, reached out to unions and to community groups and received
a significant response.
In May this year, black-shirted Golden Dawn followers in Australia tried to hold a rally
outside the Greek Club in Brisbane, supported by Fascists of the Australia First Party.
They were successfully confronted by members of the Greek community, unionists and other
antifascist protesters. They have also twice held similar rallies outside of the Greek
Consulate General in Sydney. In Melbourne they have not organised similar rallies but they
have been active through a front charity called ?Voithame Tin Ellada? (?We Help Greece?).
The cancellation of the Golden Dawn visit is a victory, but we must not be complacent. In
the event of Golden Dawn making another attempt to visit Australia, community groups, Left
organisations and, most especially, the unions, must take the initiative to act in a
united front against the Fascist scum. They must be stopped in their tracks by a massive
mobilisation of the working class.
FASCISM ? NO PASARAN!
This article was published in The Anvil Vol 3 No 1: http://melbacg.wordpress.com/the-anvil/
Related Link: http://melbacg.wordpress.com/the-anvil
http://www.anarkismo.net/article/27686
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