[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003EGolden Dawn has  attracted increasing international media coverage since it successfully entered  parliament following the 2012 Greek general election. Much of the media  attention has focused on the party\u2019s continued electoral success in the context  of severe austerity measures, its openly neo-Nazi character, and its violent  attacks against immigrants and leftists. However, as the party\u2019s gains are  almost exclusively viewed as a product of the financial crisis, the potential  longer-term impact of Golden Dawn\u2019s social and welfare activities and its  international undertakings and links to far-right organizations appears  underexplored at times. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough Golden Dawn  was founded nearly 30 years ago, the group hardly featured in international  media coverage until the Greek general elections in 2012, when the party\u2014to the  surprise of analysts and the political establishment\u2014was able not only to dramatically  increase its share of the vote but to secure 18 seats in the Greek parliament.  International observers and media commentators were alarmed that an  ultra-nationalist party which openly models  itself after the Nazis and advocates for mining Greece\u2019s borders to keep out  immigrants was so successful in a national election. In a BBC article in  October 2012, former \u201cNewsnight\u201d editor Paul Mason echoed the consensus of much  of the international press regarding Golden Dawn\u2019s success. He drew parallels between modern Greece and Germany during the Weimar Republic, arguing that  Golden Dawn\u2019s rise was fueled by \u201chopelessness\u201d and \u201cinertia\u201d and must be  understood in the context of the financial crisis and the effects of the severe  austerity measures that Greece had to endure. Though Mason rejected a direct  comparison to the political and economic context of the Weimar Republic, he  argued that \u201c[W]hile the  crisis may be on a scale weaker than the one that collapsed [...] in Greece, the forces holding democracy together may also be weaker.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EPaul Mason, \u201cLove or nothing: The real Greek parallel with Weimar,\u201d BBC News, October 26, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-20105881\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-20105881\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EInternational commentators were careful  not to overstate the importance of Golden Dawn\u2019s 2012 electoral success, with \u003Cem\u003EThe New York Times\u003C\/em\u003E pointing out that  \u201cthe group is still far from being a major threat to [Greek Prime Minister  Antonis] Samaras\u2019s party, or to his fragile three-party coalition government.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ELiz Alderman, \u201cRight-Wing Extremists\u2019 Popularity Rising Rapidly in Greece,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, September 30, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/10\/01\/world\/europe\/amid-greeces-worries-the-rise-of-right-wing-extremists.html?pagewanted=all\u0026amp;_r=0\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/10\/01\/world\/europe\/amid-greeces-worries-the-rise-of-right-wing-extremists.html?pagewanted=all\u0026amp;_r=0\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E  However, the fascist, violent, and aggressive character of the group and its  leaders was emphasized by most media outlets. Reuters\u2019s Dina Kyriakidou pointed  out the inherent contradiction of denying being a neo-Nazi organization while  at the same time \u201copenly adopting similar ideology and symbols\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EDina Kyriakidou, \u201cSpecial Report: Greece\u0027s far-right party goes on the offensive,\u201d Reuters, November 12, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/2012\/11\/12\/us-greece-crisis-dawn-idUSBRE8AB09F20121112\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/2012\/11\/12\/us-greece-crisis-dawn-idUSBRE8AB09F20121112\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E  and  the \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E described an incident  during which the \u201chigh-profile neo-Nazi MP\u201d Ilias Kasidiaris physically  attacked two left-wing female politicians during a live talk show. With sharp  irony, the \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s Helen Smith described Kasidiaris as \u201cthe most vocal opponent of suggestions that Chrysi  Avgi [Golden Dawn] is a violent organisation with a history of attacks on  society\u0027s most vulnerable not least Greece\u0027s burgeoning population of  immigrants.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EHelen Smith, \u201cGreek Golden Dawn MP assaults female politicians on talkshow,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E, June 7, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2012\/jun\/07\/greek-golden-dawn-mp-assaults-females-tv\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2012\/jun\/07\/greek-golden-dawn-mp-assaults-females-tv\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing a string of attacks on migrants  across Greece during 2012 and 2013\u2014for many of which Golden Dawn has been  alleged to be responsible\u2014international media outlets investigated Golden  Dawn\u2019s growing appeal among segments of the Greek population despite its  violent reputation. As state welfare assistance was rolled back dramatically  following the implementation of austerity cuts, Reuters pointed to Golden  Dawn\u2019s moves to fill the void. \u201cPart of its [Golden Dawn\u2019s] appeal is down to  the sort of welfare work that Hamas, the Palestinian party, does in Gaza.  Golden Dawn distributes food in poor neighborhoods, helps old ladies get money  safely from ATMs\u2014and has also set up a Greeks-only blood bank.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EDina Kyriakidou, \u201cSpecial Report: Greece\u0027s far-right party goes on the offensive,\u201d Reuters, November 12, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/2012\/11\/12\/us-greece-crisis-dawn-idUSBRE8AB09F20121112\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/2012\/11\/12\/us-greece-crisis-dawn-idUSBRE8AB09F20121112\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile the rise of Golden Dawn was  repeatedly explained in the context of stringent austerity measures and  widespread poverty and unemployment, international media outlets gave less  attention to the international dimension of Golden Dawn\u2019s activities. Thus, the  connections of the organization to Russian President Vladimir Putin were not widely picked up even though \u003Cem\u003EForeign Affairs\u003C\/em\u003E magazine highlighted that  Golden Dawn \u201cis thought to receive funds from Russia.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMitchell A. Orenstein, \u201cPutin\u0027s Western Allies,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EForeign Affairs\u003C\/em\u003E, March 25, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/141067\/mitchell-a-orenstein\/putins-western-allies\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/141067\/mitchell-a-orenstein\/putins-western-allies\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E The \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E noted Golden Dawn\u2019s efforts to  open offices across Europe and in the United States, quoting a Golden Dawn  expert who stated, \u201cGolden Dawn is not like other parties in Greece. From its  beginnings, in the early 80s, it always had one eye abroad.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EHelen Smith, \u201cGreece\u0027s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn goes global with political ambitions,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E, April 1, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2013\/apr\/01\/greece-golden-dawn-global-ambitions\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2013\/apr\/01\/greece-golden-dawn-global-ambitions\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing the murder of left-wing rapper Pavlos Fyssas in 2013 by a member of  Golden Dawn, media outlets have closely followed government efforts to  prosecute the organizations leadership and crack down on racist violence. While  the government-led action has generally been viewed as successful in curtailing  the activities of the group, Golden Dawn\u2019s electoral success at the recent  European elections indicates that they are still popular among voters. This  adds more pressure on the government to successfully prosecute Golden Dawn\u2019s  leader Michaloliakos and other members of the group during their upcoming  trial. However, the \u003Cem\u003EWall Street Journal\u003C\/em\u003E has already speculated that \u201cthe evidence so far probably isn\u2019t enough\u201d to  allow for the group to be banned.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMarcus Walker, Marianna Kakaounaki, \u201cGreece struggles to outlaw its Golden Dawn Fascist party,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EWall Street Journal\u003C\/em\u003E, December 4, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/news\/articles\/SB10001424052702303281504579219983801909944\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/online.wsj.com\/news\/articles\/SB10001424052702303281504579219983801909944\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile western media  interest in the activities of Golden Dawn has significantly increased over the  last two years, much media analysis has remained limited to linking the group\u2019s  success to the consequences of severe austerity measures. Accordingly, Golden  Dawn\u2019s ascent is predominantly viewed as a product of the financial crisis. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Analysis of Group"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]