Bomb at HQ of Greek far-right political party
Published on Tuesday, 04 December 2012 13:23 Written by Marverine Cole
Forensic officers and police comb the scene of a bomb blast for evidence in the backstreets of Aspopyrgos, a suburb of the capital of Greece. The front door of the HQ of popular far-right political party, Golden Dawn, blown clean off by a powerful explosion last night. The damage said to be considerable, but no-one was injured. No-one’s claimed responsibility for planting the bomb yet either.
Golden Dawn’s support has been buoyed ever since it won seats in parliament in the summer: playing on the apathy and despondency of the Greek people and the dire financial state of the country, by blaming immigrants and non-whites for stealing jobs and causing crime. They’ve strengthened in numbers and followers too – standing out on the streets, handing around free food to only the poorest Greek people who could prove they were born in the country. Rumours that police officers may also have joined Golden Dawn’s ranks have added to the anti-party feeling. Critics claiming officers revelled too much in the recent crackdown on suspected illegal immigrants, detaining them in cells whilst their papers were checked.
But with the explosion causing disruption to Golden Dawn’s activities for however long, those calling for the party to be declared illegal, in light of its practices with its Nazi-style rhethoric and emblems, might well be wearing wry smiles.
Credit: International Business Times