Greek-Americans Protest "Golden Dawn" Fascists

Members of the Greek-American community held a protest in Manhattan on Friday in response to recent political violence in Greece. Pavlos Fyssas, a Greek musician and activist, was stabbed to death by a member of the far-right party Golden Dawn.

Golden has recently risen to prominence in Greek politics, gaining 7% of the popular vote in 2012. Greece has been in a severe economic crisis for the past few years, with youth unemployment as high as two thirds.

Levis (center) leading the march behind AKNY's banner

The protest was hosted by a group called AKNY, a self-described “Greece solidarity movement.” It took place in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, in front of the Greek mission. Evangelos Venizelos, the foreign and deputy prime minister of Greece, was scheduled to give a speech to the United Nations General Assembly at the same time.

“On September 18th, 34 year old hip-hop artist and left activist Pavlos Fyssas was assassinated by members of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn. He was cornered in the working class neighborhood of Keratsini, in Piraeus, by approximately 30 thugs,” said AKNY in a statement.

The small crowd of 40 to 50 people gathered behind a large red banner, with many holding signs and chanting slogans. A drummer and poet added some cultural energy to the event.

“I want to express my outrage, as a Jewish working class person, that Golden Dawn has been categorized as neo-Nazi. There's nothing 'neo' about it. They sell Mein Kampf at their book tables, they parade with Nazi salutes, there's nothing neo-Nazi about these guys,” said Marty Goodman, a retired transit worker.

One of the main organizers of the protest was Nicholas Levis, a Greek-American from Astoria, New York City. Levis is trying to raise awareness about recent events in Greece among the larger Greek-American community.

“The Greek-American community is established in this country. Most Greek-Americans are not thinking about the events in Greece, they take a very superficial view of it,” said Levis.

Levis (center) addressing the crowd while Gutas (right) listens

Ioanna Gutas, a Greek-American and self-described “old-timer”, traveled all the way from New Haven, CT to attend the protest.

“Fascism was not only dead in Greece, but dead and buried in the depths of the Earth, and to see this happening right now, it's very disturbing. The whole social structure is being demolished,” said Gutas.

The protest was directed not only against the Golden Dawn party, but also against the larger political and economic systems which have led to the current state of crisis in Greece.

“It's not only about Golden Dawn and the Nazis, it is about the government that has made this rise of the Nazis possible,” said Levis. “I think Greece is very much the testing ground for neo-liberalism. What can they get away with? Whatever they get away with in Greece, they learn that they can try elsewhere.”

Despina Lalaki, a sociologist from Athens who teaches Greek at New York University, blames the economic policy referred to as “austerity” for the political situation in Greece.

“Those supposedly democratically-elected people who represent us have totally failed us. Greece is pretty much like the tip of the iceberg, it's the most extreme manifestation of what the austerity is actually right now doing in other, mostly southern European countries, like Italy, Spain, and Portugal,” said Lalaki.

Two protesters holding anti-fascist signs for photographers

Although the protest was relatively small, Levis believes such events are important in the bigger picture of activism.

“The reality of demonstrations is they are mainly for the demonstrators, and for the media, and to network. Those are really the most important things. And there will then be great outbreaks like Occupy, but no one can say when that comes,” said Levis.