Golden Dawn. For a Nazi party, the name is kind of funny. “The first time I heard it, I thought it meant taking a leak in the morning,” remarked a colleague. In English, it fails to connote power, the way the names of other more serious-sounding older European fascist groups do, like Romania’s Iron Guard and Hungary’s Arrow Cross.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing sophomoric about Golden Dawn’s politics. The most politically popular fascist party in Europe, the thirty-four year old organization currenty holds eighteen seats in Greece’s parliament, and three seats in the European Parliament. Best known outside the country for the murder of anti-capitalist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, AKA Killah P, Golden Dawn has become a household name in Europe, for what the future holds, if Brussels continues to insist on dismantling member state public sectors, in exchange for bailouts.
If there’s a musical genre identified with the crisis, though, it’s definitely hip-hop. From MC NextGen’s attack on Andrew Lansley, the ex-UK Secretary of Health (2010-2012) for his efforts to dismantle the NHS, to Killah P, European hip-hop is sounding every bit like the oppositional soundtrack du jour. Hence, extremists having problems with artists like Greece’s Killah P.
In the week following Fyssas’ murder, flyers and graffiti honoring his memory showed up all over Europe. From Berlin to Turin, anti-fascists were united in mourning. The banner above, and the flyer below, were photographed that same week, on the campus of the University of Turin. The Greek in the first photo reads “Wherever the cop’s club doesn’t reach, the fascist’s knife does.” Pretty pointed stuff, so to speak, testifying to the turmoil.
COP’S TRUNCHEON
FASCIST’S KNIFE
This poster is in memory of Pavlos Fysas.
In the Pireo district, Athens, in the evening of 18th of September, the musician Pavlos Fyssas, known for his antifascist activism, has been murdered in cold blood by an exponent of Golden Dawn before the compliant eyes of the public security forces.
The collaboration between Government and Golden Dawn is not even masked; as a Greek slogan says: “Where there is no cop’s truncheon, there is fascist knife”. In the square, militant fascists and policemen are side by side in attacking immigrants, rebels or simple dissidents.
When the misery of capitalism is shown with all of its cruelty, the risk of subversive ideas arising increases. Government and the Capital leave aside ballot papers and referendums and pull out knives and thugs.
Fascism lives on our apathy. The next victims will be everybody’s fault.
Anti-Fascist Action
See Also: Pavlos Fyssas memorial demo flyer. Berlin, September 2013 [In German]
Translations by Martha Sakellariou and Giulia Pace. Photographs by Joel Schalit.
