2012-05-01

Greek right-wing making headlines too

I don't know anything about this Greek party, but I repeat what I've said before about other right-wing movements in Europe: the left-wing media in the West tars every right-wing movement (beyond the center-right) with Nazism. Thus, surface media accounts are typically light on substance. Along these lines, the extremism and radicalism of peak social mood politics are what the current political environment is reacting against. The media and ruling politicians in Europe view these parties and ideas as radical and extremist, but the public increasingly views them as needed. What this means in effect is that actual extremists can take power because rational ideas have become extremist. If there are 1 million migrants living in Greece and 90% of illegal migrants in the EU enter through Greece, then Greece has a major problem with border control. Vowing to kick out illegal migrants is not radical in this situation, unlike continuing the current policies. However, if wikipedia is to be believed, Golden Dawn is at the extreme far right:
According to the Party's charter, "only Aryans in blood and Greeks in descent can be candidate members of Golden Dawn"

Rise of far right in Greece worries mainstream
Black-clad Golden Dawn members have been storming across the campaign trail across Greece, stopping to chat at cafes and shops, handing out fliers promising security in crime-ridden neighborhoods - and vowing to kick out immigrants.

Greece's borders, they say, must be sealed with land mines to stop illegal crossing into a country that became the entry point for 90 percent of the European Union's illegal migrants. Authorities estimate there are about 1 million migrants living in this country of 11 million.

Appealing to populist sentiment, Golden Dawn has been gathering donations of food and clothing to deliver to the needy while pledging to make politicians accountable for the crisis. Ordinary Greeks are struggling under tough conditions demanded for rescue loan deals that have pushed the country into a fifth year of recession.
Golden dawn expects its percentage of the vote to rise from 0.23% in 2009 to about 6% in 2012. Here is a telling quote from a Dow Jones Newswires article on the rise of the party Greece's Extreme Right Poised For Parliament As Elections Near:
"I'm no fascist but this time I'll vote for Golden Dawn just to shake up the dirty political system," said Kostas Kalatzakos, a small shop owner in an Athens suburb. "Robbers have broken in my shop three times over the past two years and the last time around the police sounded annoyed when I called them to come and investigate. Of course nobody is ever caught."

..."Two very mean-looking but polite boys came with me at the ATM to pick up my pension and then they brought me back home carrying the groceries to my apartment. I felt very sorry about this, but to tell you the truth i also felt secure. This country is in a pitiful state," said 72-year-old Anastasia Petikari, a retired teacher in Athens.
It is unclear from the articles whether all foreigners or only illegals are to be deported:
Soaring crime rates are often blamed on the million-plus illegal immigrants from Albania, Asia, Africa and the Middle East that cross Greece's porous borders on a daily basis.

"Successive governments have done nothing about this major issue," Golden Dawn leader Mihaloliakos said. "There are entire neighborhoods which have turned into immigrant ghettos and Greeks are afraid top step out of their homes. This has to end and our proposal is simple. Arrest all the foreigners and deport them."

"We are not planning concentration camps. It will be done in a proper way with the help of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees," he said.
What we see in Greece is the collision of social mood with existing radical policies. Any type of anti-foreigner policy, including against illegal migrants, is considered bad by the elite in the West. Therefore, those who wish to deport illegal immigrants and lumped together with those who want to expel all foreigners. The public, exasperated by the ruling governments extreme open borders policies, turn to whatever party offers a solution. If voter sentiment on immigration is represented by beyond center-right party such as the Party for Freedom in Holland, voters will give it their support. If instead their option is a far-right Golden Dawn in Greece, they will turn that way. If instead, far-left communists oppose illegal immigration, they may benefit and see their support rise. For the most part, it is the right-wing that benefits in Europe because the far right is traditionally anti-capitalist in addition to being nationalistic, both of which are popular policies today, but any centrist party could choke off support by adjusting their policies. The issue for them is that to be a centrist and continue the current policies is as radical as anything offered up by the left or right and voters want a change. In essence, if a center party wants to win, it must shed the center and become a left or right party. Otherwise, place your bets on the formerly fringe parties.

No comments:

Post a Comment