I am not at all surprised that the racist chanting that occurred during the Independence Day march was condemned by all the political parties except LAOS. The extreme right-wing party is showing what lies behind the respectable suits and reasonable speeches. They have become popular by keeping their racist views out of the media and presenting people with answers to the problems they face. This is what ultra-nationalist parties do. LAOS cannot be seen to condemn this racist act because it was perpetrated by people who are probably supporters of their party or members of Golden Dawn (the neo-nazi group) who will vote for them because they share some of the same ideology.
In what has turned into an embarrassing diplomatic development for Greece, the country’s ambassador in Tirana yesterday apologized to Albania after members of the coast guard special operations unit were filmed chanting racist slogans during the March 25 Independence Day march in Athens.
As the investigation into the incident gathers pace, Greece’s Ambassador Nikolaos Pazios expressed his disappointment at the incident and assured Albania’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta that those responsible would be found and dealt with suitably.
Meta said the actions of the coast guard officers were “scandalous” but praised the Greek government’s determination to deal with the incident and said relations between the two countries would not be harmed. Several students gathered to protest the chants in the Albanian city of Shkoder, where they burned Greek flags.
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has also complained about the incident, which has been condemned by all the Greek parties apart from the nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS). Speaking on Sunday, President Karolos Papoulias said, “Patriotism is not rhetoric, nor slogans.”
The head of the coast guard squadron has been suspended in connection with last week’s incident and an internal investigation has been launched. All 36 frogmen who took part in the march will be called to answer questions as part of the probe, which could widen to include their superiors.
Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis has asked inspectors to ascertain whether members of the coast guard special forces have links to extreme right-wing groups such as Chryssi Avgi (Golden Dawn).
Technorati Tags: greece, albania, racist, coastguard, laos
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and Greek Helsinki Monitor filed with the prosecutors a complaint based on the anti-racism law on 26 March
Diva just so that you get your far-right Greek politics right:
Golden Dawn is a registered party and has participated in the last few Euroelections and National elections so it actually competes with LAOS for votes. In fact if you were to hold your nose and look at their online material you’d see them attack LAOS for lack of true patriotism etc.
That being said you will find ex-LAOS members in Golden Dawn and possibly ex-Golden Dawn members in LAOS.
That is such a sad thing to see. So much hatered, racism and so called patriotism. Seems like both Greece and Albania will never leave their old ways. Greece attacks and Albania reacts.
It’s a shame for all Greeks to see their soldiers chant such aweful things.