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Golden Dawn ditches boots for suits in European election makeover Golden Dawn ditches boots for suits in European election makeover
(about 4 hours later)
Neo-Nazi Greek party Golden Dawn is softening its image and tempering its rhetoric before Sunday's European elections. The Greek Neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn is softening its image and tempering its rhetoric before Sunday's European elections. Replacing boots with suits, the party has sought to shed its menacing persona, fielding middle-class professionals in an effort to broaden its appeal. Among its 42 candidates are university lecturers, lawyers, surgeons, business people and a former Nato commander.
Replacing boots with suits, the party has sought to shed its menacing persona, fielding middle-class professionals in an effort to broaden its appeal. Among its 42 candidates are university professors, lawyers, surgeons, businessmen and a former Nato commander. "Golden Dawn is in a new phase of development due to Greece's social and economic crisis," said Giorgos Kyrtsos, a political commentator and European parliament candidate for the ruling centre-right New Democracy. "With the middle class determined to avenge the government for policies that have seen its living standards collapse, the far right has understood strong-arm tactics are no longer necessary."
"Golden Dawn is in a new phase of development due to Greece's ongoing social and economic crisis," said Giorgos Kyrtsos, a political commentator who is running as a Euro MP with the ruling centre-right New Democracy. "With the middle class determined to avenge the government for policies that have seen its living standards collapse, the far right has understood strong-arm tactics are no longer necessary." The makeover offers an image far removed from the black-shirted assault squads that have come to be associated with a party accused by the authorities of being a criminal organisation.
The makeover offers an image far removed from the black shirted assault squads that have come to be associated with a party that is under investigation as a criminal organisation. A number of its leaders, including its founder, Nikos Michaloliakos, have spent eight months in prison pending trial. Many had thought the crackdown, spurred by the murder of an anti-fascist rapper, would be the demise of a group that five years ago took just 0.2% of the vote. But efforts at cleaning up the party appear to have paid off. As in Hungary, where the neo-fascist Jobbik party increased its share of the vote in parliamentary elections last month by projecting itself as more moderate, the new-look Golden Dawn got its first endorsement in local elections last weekend.
A number of its leaders, including the party's founder, Nikos Michaloliakos, have spent the past eight months in prison pending trial. Many had thought that the crackdown – spurred by the murder of an anti-fascist rapper – would be the demise of a group that only five years ago took just 0.2% of the vote. Despite facing government accusations of involvement in murder, extortion and racist violence – and the discovery of portraits of Hitler and Nazi paraphernalia in the homes of Michaloliakos and other MPs – the party clawed back support with a surprisingly strong performance.
But efforts at cleaning up the party appear to have paid off. As in Hungary, where the neo-fascist Jobbik party increased its share of the vote in parliamentary elections last month by projecting itself as more moderate, the new-look Golden Dawn got its first endorsement in local elections last weekend. In Athens, the area worst hit by record unemployment and six straight years of recession, Ilias Kasidiaris, Golden Dawn's mayoral candidate, won 16.1% of the vote – more than double the party's showing in general elections in June 2012. Although the former commanderarmy commando, whose left shoulder bears a large swastika tattoo, failed to make it into Sunday's runoff, his success was echoed in working-class suburbs, where the party polled more than 20%.
Despite facing government accusations of involvement in murder, extortion and racist violence – and the discovery of portraits of Hitler and Nazi paraphernalia in the homes of Michaloliakos and other MPs - the party clawed back lost support with a surprisingly strong performance. "Golden Dawn is the only political force in the country that is rising," said Kasidiaris, whose personal ratings soared after he assaulted two leftwing female MPs during a televised debate two years ago. "Greeks recognised that we have become their voice, the voice of truth, in the corrupt parliament."
In Athens, the area worst hit by record unemployment and six straight years of recession, Ilias Kasidiarias, Golden Dawn's mayoral candidate, won 16.1% of the vote – more than double the party's showing in general elections in June 2012. Although the former commander, whose left shoulder is emblazoned with a large swastika tattoo, failed to make it into Sunday's runoff, his success was echoed in working-class suburbs, where the party polled more than 20%.
"Golden Dawn is the only political force in the country that is rising," boasted Kasidiaris, whose personal ratings soared after he assaulted two leftwing female MPS during a televised debate two years ago. "Greeks recognised that we have become their voice, the voice of truth, in the corrupt parliament."
But it is the far-right party's growing appeal to what was once the country's well-heeled bourgeoisie that has most surprised analysts.But it is the far-right party's growing appeal to what was once the country's well-heeled bourgeoisie that has most surprised analysts.
In Kolonaki, an upmarket Athens district of high-end boutiques where women walk toy dogs and young, designer-clad men spill out of cafes and bars, the extremists attracted 13.7% of the vote. Along its high street, the talk this week was almost exclusively about Golden Dawn – and how the party had succeeded in inveigling its way into the homes of those who live there. In Kolonaki, an upmarket Athens district of high-end boutiques, where women walk toy dogs and young, designer-clad men spill out of cafes and bars, the extremists attracted 13.7% of the vote. Along its high street, the talk this week was almost exclusively of Golden Dawn – and how it had succeeded in inveigling its way into the homes of local people. Had it found fertile ground only in Greece's economic crisis, or was its ideology of hate – for immigrants, gay people and Jews – the draw for voters?
Had it found fertile ground only in Greece's economic crisis, or was its ideology of hate – for immigrants, gay people and Jews - the draw for voters? Entrepreneur Dimitris Deliyannis, who plans to vote for the party, thought it was a bit of both. The recent arrival in Kolonaki of beggars, homeless people and foreigners selling flowers had eroded people's sense of security, he said. "It's a protest vote. We're not fascists or Nazis, but this is a system that is totally rotten, totally corrupt, that stops you in your tracks and lets immigrants get away with murder," he said. "And because we know the system hates Golden Dawn and has used everything at its disposal to eradicate Golden Dawn we are going to hit the system with it."
Entrepreneur Dimitris Deliyannis, who had decided to vote for the party, was in no doubt it was a bit of both. Beggars have reached Kolonaki of late along with the homeless and foreigners selling flowers – arrivals that have eroded locals' sense of security. Yannis Kollides agreed. Like his friend he is, at 50, old enough to remember the return of democracy to Greece in 1974, but too young to recall the preceding seven-year dictatorship. "What I feel is rage and Golden Dawn is the answer to it," he said. "And look, they're nice guys now. If they get into the European parliament they can help change the policies of austerity and all the submission, exploitation and globalisation that has got us in this mess."
"It's a protest vote. We're not fascists or Nazis, but this is a system that is totally rotten, totally corrupt, that stops you in your tracks and lets immigrants get away with murder," he explained. "And because we know the system hates Golden Dawn and has used everything at its disposal to eradicate Golden Dawn we are going to hit the system with it." Human rights groups are alarmed at Golden Dawn's rise. The far right's ability, Europe-wide, to move into the political mainstream on a platform of hate has raised fears of alliances being formed that will ultimately undermine democratic norms from within.
Yannis Kollides, a legal councillor employed at a government ministry, agreed. Like, his friend he is, at 50, old enough to remember the return of democracy to Greece in 1974, but too young to recall the dictatorship itself. "It is just as dangerous when parties like Golden Dawn and Jobbik try to sanitise themselves to attract votes," said Sonni Efron of Human Rights First, who is visiting Greece as part of a team. "It enables voters who are most angry about economic problems and want to cast a protest vote, or punish those in power, to pretend that these parties are not really fascist," she said.
"What I feel is rage and Golden Dawn is the answer to it," he insisted, admitting that he hasn't told colleagues his voting intentions. "And look, they're nice guys now. If they get into the European parliament they can help change the policies of austerity and all the submission, exploitation and globalisation that has got us in this mess." For seasoned Golden Dawn watchers, the party's transformation is no surprise. In 2007, Michaloliakos, an open admirer of the military junta that once ruled Greece, wrote in the party magazine: "We will appear as the good guys. We will use the political system but our goal will be to use it as a Trojan horse to conquer the system … just as Odysseus did when he massacred the Trojans."
Human rights groups are expressing alarm at Golden Dawn's rise. The far right's ability, Europe-wide, to move into the political mainstream on a platform of hate has raised fears of alliances being formed that will ultimately undermine democratic norms from within.
"It is just as dangerous when parties like Golden Dawn and Jobbik try to sanitise themselves to attract votes," said Sonni Efron of Human Rights First, who is visiting Greece as part of a team. "It enables voters who are most angry about economic problems and want to cast a protest vote, or punish those in power, to pretend that these parties are not really fascist," she told the Guardian.
For seasoned Golden Dawn watchers, the party's transformation is no surprise.
Michaloliakos, an open admirer of the military junta that ruled Greece for seven years, had previously hinted that the Greek far right would resort to "Trojan horse" tactics.
"We will appear as the good guys," he wrote in an article published in 2007 in the party's magazine. "We will use the political system but our goal will be to use it as a Trojan horse to conquer the system … just as Odysseus did when he massacred the Trojans."