Galery

1

On Thursday night unknown perpetrators sprayed in blue the logo of the far right organisation on the Holocaust Memorial located in an open-entry grove near Keramikos. The initials of the neo-Nazi organisation Unaligned Meander Nationalists (Greek abbreviation: AME) are accompanied by an ancient Greek meander ornament underneath.

Attica’s security services are investigating.

The Thessaloniki Jewish Community has made a statement condemning the Holocaust Memorial desecration and demanding the prosecution of the perpetrators as well as the adoption of all necessary measures to warrant the Memorial’s security.

"Spraying AME's neo-Nazi symbol on the Memorial is offensive not only to the memory of 6 million Jews – among them 60,000 Greeks – who were murdered in Nazy concentration camps, but also to the memory of those who returned to Greece to rebuild their lives from the ashes of war", says the Jewish Community’s statement.

The Greek Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos has expressed his profound dismay and vehemently denounced the act of vandalism.

"This is a barbaric act brutally insulting the history of not only the Jewish community but of the Greek nation as a whole, which respects and honours the memory of the tens of thousands of Greek Jews who tragically perished in concentration camps during the Holocaust."

He also pledged that the Greek authorities would do everything in their power to find and arrest the perpetrators of this act of anti-Semitism and bigotry, which is inconsistent with the democratic values of tolerance and multiculturalism, intrinsic to Greek society.

New Democracy: an act of cowardice

New Democracy has denounced "adamantly the desecration of the Holocaust Memorial in Athens by far right Nazi elements", said the party’s spokesperson Anna Asimakopoulou in a statement, and further added: "This cowardly act is an offence to the memory of 60,000 Greek Jews who died in Nazi camps. We are convinced that the authorities will do their best to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators."

Syriza: We must erect a wall against the resurgence of anti-Semitism

On their part, Syriza stated that "the desecration offends Greek society and the memory of tens of thousands of Greek Jews who lost their lives in concentration camps."

The party also appealed that a wall be erected against the restoration of anti-Semitism and fascism, which are "a peril for the whole of Europe."

The Democratic Left: Acts of this kind should never happen again

In its statement, the Democratic left has condemned the desecration of the Holocaust Memorial, upon which the "neo-Nazis have left their scar for a second time in 2014." The party argued that "all necessary measures must be taken to prevent these kinds of actions, which poison our society with anti-Semitism and racism."

The Communist Party: The people should intensify their struggle against Nazism

The Communist Party has "denounced the desecration of the Holocaust memorial dedicated to 60,000 Greeks of Jewish descent who tragically died in the Nazi concentration camps as well as to those who managed to survive."

The party statement also says that such acts are unable to prevent young people from knowing the truth about Nazi crimes, and will encourage people to strengthen their efforts to marginalise Nazism.

Minister for Public Order: No tolerance for the desecrators

In a statement from the USA where he is at the moment, Minister for Public Order and Citizen Protection Vassilis Kikilias said there would be no tolerance of those who desecrated the Holocaust memorial.

"I am denouncing this abhorrent act, and vow that the state will have zero tolerance towards those who insulted the memory of thousands of our fellow citizens who lost their lives during the Holocaust," said Kikilias