Several articles have recently been written on the rise of ultra-nationalist organizations in Europe, in response to failing economies and the austerity measures recently undertaken in an attempt to prevent a total economic collapse. This article focuses on the "Golden Dawn" organization in Greece, but many European countries now have similar organizations which are gaining support daily. Anyone who is a student of history will read this article and be amazed by the parallel to post World War I Germany, when a fledgling National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) rose from obscurity to national, and eventually world, prominence, by touting the very same sentiments as the "Golden Dawn" - basically, "Life sucks, we have a frightening and uncertain future, and it must be someone else's fault. It can't possibly be our fault." I'm not denying that the Golden Dawn has some valid points. Immigrant communities are often a social drain on a society. The NSDAP had some valid points as well. Their solution though, left a bad taste in the mouth of humanity. If left unchecked, the Golden Dawn may offer us a replay of past events. If our national leaders continue to act as though debt has no consequences, we may be seeing our own future in this article. This sort of racist/nationalist extremism could very well be the match that starts the conflagration which will consume our nation - Attacks on minority/immigrant communities, counter-attacks, the forming of militias by both sides to protect themselves, the declaration of martial law to restore order, the confiscation of firearms, a "Boston Massacre" type incident, and the bonfire is lit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...46-f24efc680b8d_story.html?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads Anti-immigrant Golden Dawn rises in Greece Excerpts: ATHENS — At first glance, the shop on a nondescript street in this chaotic capital looks standard-issue military. Fatigues. Camouflage. Hunting gear. Deeper inside, the political message emerges. Black T-shirts emblazoned with modified swastikas — the symbol of the far-right Golden Dawn party — are on sale. A proudly displayed sticker carries a favorite party slogan: “Get the Stench out of Greece.” By “stench,” the Golden Dawn — which won its first-ever seats in the Greek Parliament this spring and whose popularity has soared ever since — means immigrants, broadly defined as anyone not of Greek ancestry. To fulfill its promise of a Greece for Greeks alone, the party appears willing to go to great lengths. Its supporters — in some instances with the alleged cooperation of police — stand accused of unleashing a rash of violence since the party rose to national office, including the stabbings and beatings of immigrants, ransacking an immigrant community center, smashing market stalls and breaking the windows of immigrant-owned shops. ……. The Golden Dawn has also begun engaging left-wing anarchy groups in street battles — more evidence, observers say, of a societal breakdown that some here fear could slide into a civil war if Greece is forced out of the euro and into an even deeper crisis. But perhaps more worrisome, critics say, are signs that the Golden Dawn is establishing itself as an alternative authority in a country crippled by the harsh austerity imposed by its international lenders. It has set up its own “pure” blood bank, providing and accepting donations to and from Greeks only, in a nation of 11 million that is also home to roughly 1.5 million refugees and migrants, many of them from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. As the party attempts to place a swelling number of unemployed in jobs, its officials say they have persuaded a major restaurant chain to begin replacing immigrants with Greek workers. Landlords can seek the party’s help with the eviction of immigrant tenants. The Golden Dawn can provide not only government health inspectors and lawyers sympathetic to its goals, but also security, in the form of black-uniformed followers with military haircuts who salute one another with upraised fists. ……. “During difficult periods of war or economic disaster, as we are facing now, there are people who have to do the hard job, the dirty job,” Panagiotaros said. “We are the ones.” As deeply indebted European nations undergo waves of harsh government cuts in exchange for European Union-backed bailouts, observers warn that the fabric of society in some countries is being stretched to its breaking point. As countries trim spending, the elderly and disabled are enduring deep reductions in aid and pensions. Workers are losing their jobs or facing sharp salary cuts. Taxes are increased in the middle of steep recessions. The collapsed economy is fertile ground for the Golden Dawn. Born in the 1980s and populated by Greek nationalists, including some who fought with the Serbs in the Balkans and had ties to Greece’s former military dictatorship, the party won its first-ever seats in Parliament in May with 7 percent of the vote. A recent poll showed that 22 percent of Greeks view the party favorably. ……… In a nation where memories of World War II-era atrocities remain fresh, polls have shown that most Greeks who support the Golden Dawn are doing so based solely on its anti-immigrant stance and that they largely dismiss the group’s more hard-core attributes. But its extracurricular activities are becoming more violent. …….. Greek Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis said he is concerned about the party’s alleged ties to the police and military. Accusations are rife that police may be working with the Golden Dawn on a new nationwide stop-and-search campaign targeting illegal immigrants. Activists also allege that segments of the police may be colluding with the party in anti-immigrant attacks, which the government estimates number at least two or three a week. …….. Since the Golden Dawn’s rise to office this year, immigrant communities across Greece are reporting what they describe as a reign of terror. In the America Square neighborhood of Athens, for instance, immigrants have begun organizing night watches after shopkeepers had their storefronts vandalized and immigrant men were assaulted. Earlier this month, residents say, a group of Greek men dressed in black stripped and humiliated an Ethiopian woman. …
Well, if it happens here. It will be the American Indians creating their own Golden Dawn as the rest of us are Immigrants. Sure there are Immigrants more recent than our own lineage but this is the land of Immigrants.
The name "Golden Dawn" reminds me of Aleister Crowley --not some type of foreign fringe political group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn
