Photo: Vassilis Vafidis
For the second time Athens Mayor George Kaminis and Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection Nikos Dendias have joined forces to thwart the implementation of Golden Dawn’s racist action.
The far right representatives had stated that they intended to give away food and clothing only to Greeks. As announced on the website of the party, the action was planned to take place in Attikis Square today at 6:00 pm. All party members and party leader Nikos Michaloliakos would be present to attach importance and solemnity to the racist giving away of benefits.
Athens' Mayor had already opposed their plans on Tuesday by stating that giving away food "only to Greeks" is "illegal and politically unacceptable" and therefore such an action cannot be allowed.
Minister of Public Order Nikos Dendias reacted similarly and stressed that the Golden Dawners had chosen to carry out their action on the day of the 39th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece. "Merciful" Nazis will have to express their burst of "humanity" in another place," he added.
Earlier today, the head of the police station in the area of Attica had issued an order prohibiting the holding of Golden Dawn’s action. It states that all public meetings and processions in the centre of Athens, which is outlined by the streets Acharnon - Ioulianou - Filadelfias - Domokou - Nestoros - Konstantinoupoleos - Aghiou Meletiou - Acharnon, are prohibited today from 12 noon to 12 midnight for security reasons.
The action provoked a quarrel in the parliament. Eleni Zaroulia, a deputy and party leader’s wife, accused the Prime Minister, the "illegally elected", in her words, Athens Mayor George Kaminis and "the incredible Minister of Protection of illegal immigrants" Nikos Dendias of the ban, defining it as an "illegal action against a legitimately elected party".
According to Yiannis Dragasakis, a presiding member of SYRIZA, the initiative of Golden Dawn violates the Greek Constitution which does not recognize differences between Greek citizens and people of other nationalities. "There is no violation. Give me the law," Zaroulia shouted and Dragasakis determined her behaviour as "insolence".
After she left the rostrum, the deputy read two articles of the Constitution, proving his position. Golden Dawner Ilias Panayotaros replied, "There was no sign of illegal immigrants in our country when these articles were written", and, "The law-maker did not know that three million immigrants would live in the country."
"He also did not mean that there would be in the Parliament a party which ignores the Constitution," was the answer of Yiannis Dragasakis.
Despite the ban, Golden Dawn states that it will carry out its action at any cost. In a new message on its website, the far right party states that it will give away the food in the central office of the party on Diliani Street near Athens railway station. "We will hold in parallel a political protest at which our leader Nikos Michaloliakos will speak," the Golden Dawners state.
It is worth noting that, before Easter, the far right had tried to carry out such an action in Syntagma Square in front of the Greek parliament. The mayor of Athens took steps to thwart it, thus incurring their wrath. Shortly after the police forced the Golden Dawners to leave the square, one of the deputies, namely George Germenis, attacked Mayor George Kaminis at the municipal "Social grocery". His fist did not hit the Mayor but landed in the face of a girl, aged 12. In statements after the incident, the Mayor said that the Golden Dawner had reached for his gun during the attack.