The Folly of Banning Golden Dawn

Last June, an incident on Greek television revealed a disturbingly prescient commentary on Golden Dawn, the far-right political party whose rise over the past two years has shocked Europe. Ilias Kasidiaris, a young party member and Parliamentarian, was sitting alongside two female politicians on a political chat show. When Rena Dorou, a member of the upstart radical SYRIZA party, challenged him over his alleged role in an assault on a university professor, Kasidiaris dumped his glass of water over her head. Outraged, Communist Party member Liana Kanelli stood up in protest to reprimand him, leading Kasidiaris chivalrous young - chivalrous young Fascist that he is - to slap the 58-year-old woman hard across the head three times. The assault by Kasidiaris - whose other great claim to fame was his denial of the Holocaust during a June parliamentary debate - comes immediately to mind in light of the news that Greek authorities have belatedly decided to crack down on Golden Dawn, a neo-Fascist movement that has existed, in one form or another, for over 30 years and whose political platform can roughly be ascertained by a mere glance at its logo (One of the party?s foundational texts claims that Adolf Hitler, who invaded and occupied Greece, was a ?visionary of new Europe,? a description that, though factually true, Golden Dawn meant as an accolade).

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