25th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

29-31 October 2013

Political extremism at the local and regional level: the Mayor of Athens answers hatred with solidarity

31.10.2013 – Directly confronted with the rise of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, the Mayor of Athens, Yiorgos Kaminis, is responding to its provocations with “the law and solidarity”. On 30 October 2013 he took part in a debate organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on extremism at the local and regional level, and presented his City’s actions geared to countering the influence of this party.

While political extremism takes a variety of forms, from “presentable” discourse to clandestine action by ultra-violent splinter groups, it invariably feeds on perceived threats to the national identity which the traditional parties often have difficulty countering. Magali Balent, a specialist in extremism and nationalism at the Robert Schuman Foundation (France), painted a picture of the nationalist and protest parties and movements which are developing throughout Europe, far from being confined to the countries in crisis.

Several of them, such as the French Front National, have a number of national elected representatives, but also many local and regional councillors. Long “demonised” by their adversaries, most of these parties, some several decades old, now play the democracy game. “We should stop ostracising them”, said Ms Balent, “and enter into dialogue with them, rather than letting them address on their own and in their own way issues of concern to our citizens, such as the role and the enlargement of the European Union, multiculturalism and the place of Islam in Europe”.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from the “respectable” parties, Golden Dawn, which was still insignificant three years ago, suddenly burst on to the Greek political scene during the 2012 elections, snapping up almost 7% of the vote, reaching 9% in Athens. This party does not deal in the “politically correct”, but rather makes caricatured references to Nazi imagery and violence, which violence culminated in the murder of the musician Pavlos Fyssas by Golden Dawn activists in September 2013. This party emerged from the shock of the 2008 economic crisis, but also from the inability of political leaders to respond to the concerns of their citizens, said the Mayor of Athens, recalling that the State has cut by 60% the financial expropriations which it formerly paid to the Capital.

“Despite all our difficulties, we shall fight on with respect for the law and for equality”, Mr Kaminis continued, presenting his City’s initiatives to combat poverty: setting up food banks, opening a solidarity-based orphanage taking in a total of 5 000 children, and providing support for education and vocational training. “We reject all forms of discrimination and will mobilise our resources in order to answer hatred with solidarity”. The Municipality also opposed the installation of soup kitchens “for Greeks only”, and Mr Kaminis pointed out that he had personally been physically assaulted by a Golden Dawn MP.

 

Unlike some of his Greek colleagues who are banking on the disappearance of Golden Dawn as soon as the economic recovery starts improving the country’s situation, Yiorgos Kaminis fears that this party will put down roots, particularly in the deprived neighbourhoods. While he considers it unnecessary and ineffective to prohibit a political party, he thinks it is vital to modernise legislation on racist statements, and also to teach history to young people so that they do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Winding up the debate, the President of the Chamber of Local Authorities, Jean-Claude Frécon (SOC, France), welcomed the wealth of the exchanges and a debate “which honours the Congress and the Council of Europe”.