The British national daily newspaper, The Guardian, in an article on May 6 entitled Greece’s People Show The Politicians How To Fight Golden Dawn, written by Daniel Trilling, claimed that more Greeks are disgusted at the presence of fascists in the country, although the party has strong support too.
“The Easter was for the neo-Nazis in Golden Dawn an opportunity for propaganda,” said the the article referring to the party’s food distribution at Syntagma square in Athens on May 2 that was “only for Greeks” as well as to fact that on Good Friday, members of Golden Down held open the motorway toll booths so that cars could pass for free. The Guardian characterized such actions as “cheap populist tricks”.
The article mentions the Council of Europe’s recent report on Golden Dawn, which concluded that the party could be banned under existing laws against racist violence but that the government seems unwilling to act.
The commentary also said that while Golden Dawn has support, it’s far from a majority. “Its activist base remains small; it cannot mobilise supporters in large numbers; and its rallies often take place unannounced, so that anti-fascist activists do not have time to gather and chase its members off the streets. The food handouts, staged mainly for the benefit of the media, pale in comparison with the network of solidarity initiatives like the “potato movement” – markets that allow farmers to sell their produce directly to customers, at around 30% less than supermarket prices – or volunteer-run medical clinics, or free after-school tuition for children, that are helping Greek people cope with the impact of mass unemployment and falling salaries.
“By contrast, as a member of Solidarity4All, a national network that co-ordinates such initiatives, described it to me, Golden Dawn’s handouts are a grim affair: “They buy the food, they make everyone listen to 30 minutes of political speeches, then they make everyone wait in line. There’s no co-operation,” the piece said.
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