Greeks Now See Golden Dawn As Criminal

Its popularity plummeting overnight in the wake of the killing of an anti-fascist hip-hop artist by a suspect linked to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, the extremists are fast losing support as well from Greeks who believe the government roundup of its hierarchy is warranted and that the group is a criminal organization.
The poll by VPRC for the rizopoulospost.com website found Golden Dawn has lost almost half it support during the government crackdown in which 35 people, including the party’s leader, second-in-command and spokesman, among six of its lawmakers, were arrested.
The survey, conducted in two rounds on Sept. 25 and Sept 30-Oct 3, found support for Golden Dawn stood at 8.5 percent, down from 14.5 percent in July. A majority of 68 percent believe Golden Dawn is a criminal gang, respondents said.
Golden Dawn is the country’s third most popular party, winning over Greeks with its anti-immigrant platform and opposition to austerity measures attached to international loans that is all that is keeping the economy from collapsing.
The party has capitalized on its vehement stance against government leaders, which it says are “thieves” working in collaboration with international forces to bring down Greece.
Despite its recent fall, however, Golden Dawn is still ahead of the once-powerful PASOK Socialists, who stand at a mere 7 percent after taking 44 percent in 2009 when then-party leader George Papandreou was elected Prime Minister. PASOK is now a junior partner in the administration of Premier Antonis Samaras, the New Democracy Conservative leader.
The major opposition party Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) topped the poll with 29.5 percent, just ahead of New Democracy, although the margin of error makes the difference negligible and the parties have been jockeying for the top constantly.