Posted on September 24, 2013

Two Police Generals Resign amid Crackdown on Greek Neo-Nazi Group

AFP, September 23, 2013

Two Greek police generals resigned on Monday, the police department said, as authorities moved to take a tougher line against the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party following last week’s murder of an anti-fascist musician by one of its alleged supporters.

The police said the regional supervisors for southern and central Greece had stepped down as a probe was underway into possible links between the police department and the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party.

The police also said a number of senior officers on the island of Evia were suspended after failing to investigate a Golden Dawn office near a local police station where weapons were allegedly kept.

The fatal stabbing of 34-year-old hip hop artist Pavlos Fyssas on September 18 has prompted authorities to take a harder stance against Golden Dawn, which has been linked with prior beatings of migrants that it officially denies.

Several of its lawmakers have also been involved in violent incidents and have yet to face justice.

Capitalising on a rise in social tension in the debt-stricken country, Golden Dawn was first elected to parliament last year with nearly seven percent of the vote and 18 seats out of an overall 300.

The government is now trying to find a way to deal with the neo-Nazi party, which so far has benefitted from a law granting elected MPs immunity from prosecution.