Fascist gangs are turning Athens into a city of shifting
front lines, seizing on crimes and local protests to promote their own
movement, by claiming to be the defenders of recession ravaged Greece.
The undisguised extremism promoted by Golden Dawn is a
chilling watershed in Greece's post-war democracy
By Damien McElroy, Athens
7:00PM GMT 02 Nov 2012
Thugs wearing the black T-shirts of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn
party are carrying out attacks on immigrant markets and in public squares,
according to the United Nations, with victims speaking of areas in the capital
which are now strictly off limits.
Malik Abdulbasset, an Egyptian-born shopkeeper, found
himself the target of one of the mobs on Wednesday night after the barber
across the road was stabbed during a robbery.
Golden Dawn members led a crowd of enraged locals in a
protest on Mikhail Voda St that turned violent despite the presence of riot
police.
While no one witnessed the attack on the barber, residents
were adamant the assailant was black.
After battering his Egyptian assistant, the mob turned on Mr
Abdulbasset, who had defied police to keep his shop open.
"I had to turn and point to my Greek children
and my Greek wife and say, look I am Greek, we are Greek, if you want to kill
us we cannot stop you but you are killing your own."
The riot police watched on but did not intervene and threats
of more protests were pasted on nearby doors.
"I will not close my shop because it is not my fault.
But at the same time if something was to happen to my shop I will leave Greece
because I am not protected."
Ilias Panagiotaris, an MP for Golden Dawn, and a leading
party figure in Athens, was unapologetic about his group's methods.
"Most nations, well, not the US or Australia, have a
single nationality that defines its culture and Greece must return to this
ideal," he said. "The Golden Dawn is a very well organised party that
is intervening to support and help people. Without us in a country
where two million of ten million people are illegal, there
would be chaos."
Support for his party has doubled from the seven per cent it
received in the last Greek election, according to an opinion poll this week.
One of its main claims is it would dragoon immigrants on to
flights to Islamabad and dare Pakistan to shoot the aircraft down.
Mr Panagiotaris added the 'papers' of every Greek who had
acquired citizenship would be thoroughly vetted. "Everyone should have their
documents inspected and those that bought their papers expelled."
The undisguised extremism promoted by Golden Dawn is a
chilling watershed in Greece's post-war democracy.
Dimitra Xirou, the mother of Argyris Argyropoulos, the
stabbed barber, seethed with anger at the nearby hospital, while holding vigil
for her son.
The 43-year-old Mr Argyropoulos, came within an millimetre
of death when he was robbed for just 10 euros, with the knife just missing his
heart.
"It is us who have no one to protect us," Mrs
Xirou said. "We are hungry, we have no jobs, there is crime everywhere.
"It used to be one of the best districts of Athens and
now it is slum that we can't escape because the Pakistanis all come here when
they arrive in Athens."
While the attacks have not specifically been backed by the
powerful Orthodox Church, some priests have reportedly been involved in the
protests.
Metropolitan Omyotis Moiysides, the local priest in Mrs
Xirou’s Panteleiomon district, said the crime wave sweeping Athens as the economy
disintegrated was forcing residents to fight back.
“I understand why the people are crying for help. I was
pulled from my car and robbed,” he said. “The police do not come and stop these
crimes, so the people have to defend themselves.”
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