On Wednesday, a Greek court issued its verdict on the fate of 68 members of the far-right party Golden Dawn. The court held that the group was “operating as a criminal organisation.” Out of the 68 on trial, 28 were convicted for being members of a criminal enterprise. The court also convicted seven former Golden Dawn members of the Greek Parliament for “leading a criminal organisation.” Another 15 were sentenced for being accomplices in illegal activities conducted by the group.
The trial was spurred by a series of attacks in 2012 and 2013. At the centre of the controversy were the cases of the 2013 death of anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas, the physical assault of Egyptian fishermen in 2012, and attacks on several left activists from early 2000s to 2013. Party supporter Giorgos Roupakian was convicted for Fyssas’ murder and is facing a life sentence, while the five defendants charged for the attack on the fishermen were convicted for attempted murder. In contrast, the four accused of orchestrating the violent assault on the activists were sentenced for a lower charge of causing bodily harm.
In anticipation of the judgement, around 20,000 protesters gathered for an anti-fascist rally outside the Greek court and demanded longer sentences for the accused. However, after the demonstrators clashed with the police, security forces responded with tear gas and water cannons to break up the crowd.
Golden Dawn has consistently denied being directly involved in the attacks. Leaders of the group have often gone on record to say that the charges against the party’s leadership are an “unprecedented conspiracy” to prevent the group from gaining popularity.
Most importantly, the leader of the movement, Nikros Michaloliakos, who founded the party in 1980, has been served a life sentence. Following a surge in public dismay over the country’s economic crisis in 2008, Golden Dawn, using its anti-immigration nationalist narrative, acquired around 7% of the votes. Between 2012 to 2019, members of the party were elected into Parliament in four different elections. While the group officially denied any links to Nazism, it has often been criticised for being a neo-Nazi party. Several party leaders have openly praised Adolf Hitler, with Michaloliakos giving the iconic “Hitler salute” at the group’s rallies and meetings. The party also is closely associated with several far-right and white supremacist groups in the United States and Europe.
Following the judgement, many politicians and prominent figures came out in support of the court’s verdict. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, “[It’s] a truly historic day for Greece, democracy, and the rule of law … After the Greek people voted the neo-Nazi party of Golden Dawn out of Parliament in the last election, today the Greek justice system convicted its leadership of operating as a criminal organisation.”
Golden Dawn is not the only such party in Europe. In fact, the continent has been seeing a sudden surge in far-right parties since the migrant crisis of 2015. For instance, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), an anti-EU, anti-immigrant group, has now evolved to become the biggest opposition party in the German Parliament. Similarly, Spain’s Vox emerged as the country’s third-largest party in the recent election; their campaign centred around an attack on illegal immigrants and the “unity of Spain” by revoking the autonomy of the Catalonia region. Similar trends are seen in several other European countries, including Italy, France, and Sweden. Moreover, nine right-wing parties have also formed a coalition called Identity and Democracy (ID) in the European Parliament. The increasing support for far-right ideologies is seen as a direct consequence of growing concern regarding immigration, national identity, and globalisation.
Greek Court Convicts Neo-Nazi Group Golden Dawn for Running a Criminal Enterprise
Golden Dawn, a far-right party often criticised for its neo-Nazi ideology, was declared as a "criminal organisation." Party leader Nikros Michaloliakos faces a life sentence.
October 8, 2020
SOURCE: CNN