The extremism of Greece’s centre ground
Golden Dawn has become a useful tool in the hands of those who try to equate neo-Nazism with the anti-bailout movement. by Aris Chatzistefanou Walter Benjamin once said that “every fascism is an index of a failed revolution”. In that sense, the election of 21 members of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn to the Greek parliament could … Continue reading
For Sale: Greek Government Assets — Slightly Used
Greece is trying to raise cash by reviving an ambitious program to privatize state assets. The country’s lenders, which include the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, hope the sell-off will cut the country’s enormous debt. But Antonis Tsifis, who runs a betting shop in a working-class neighborhood in Athens, is upset that the … Continue reading
It’s not rhetoric to draw parallels with Nazism
by LAURIE PENNY Actual fascists in actual black shirts are waving swastikas and murdering ethnic minorities in Athens. “After the immigrants, you’re next.” That’s what was written on flyers that appeared this week in the gay clubbing district of Athens. As violence against immigrants and ethnic minorities escalates across Greece, supporters of the ultra-right Golden Dawn … Continue reading
Spetses, the tycoons’ playground where gulf between rich and poor grows wider
by Vanessa Thorpe On a jetty alongside the town beach a loud phone call disturbs the peace of a handful of Spetses residents lying in the sun before taking their daily swim – one free pleasure that is still available to all. A rich weekender from Athens booms ostentatiously into his mobile, directing a man … Continue reading
The Greek patient returns for more help
by BEN CHU The Greek begging bowl is being brandished, once again, in European capitals. The leader of the country’s coalition government, Antonis Samaras, wants Athens to be given more time to fulfil the conditions of its IMF/EU bailout. Under the agreement’s present terms, Athens is required to reduce its budget deficit, which stood at 9.3 … Continue reading
Greece must bring an end to racist and xenophobic attacks
The Greek authorities must do more to prevent racist and xenophobic attacks and fully investigate those that occur, Amnesty International said following the fatal stabbing of an Iraqi man amid a rise in xenophobic attacks. The 19-year-old died in hospital on Sunday after being repeatedly stabbed near an unofficial mosque in Anaxagora Street in central … Continue reading
ECB Plans to Set Yield Targets for Bond Purchases
Interest rates on Spanish sovereign bonds have been rising to dangerous levels in recent weeks. Now, SPIEGEL has learned that the European Central Bank plans to use a new instrument to stop the trend: The bank is considering setting yield targets on the bonds of euro-zone countries. Should interest rates exceed those levels, the ECB … Continue reading
The women Greece blames for its HIV crisis
Prostitutes have been rounded up and jailed as new cases soar by CHARLOTTE MCDONALD-GIBSON The women glare into the camera, their humiliated, pale faces smeared with make-up and tears. Glazed eyes stare out under lurid headlines warning of “the nightmare of Aids” with “infected prostitutes” posing a “death trap for hundreds of people”.
Euro’s Medicine May Be Making Greece’s Symptoms Worse
By RACHEL DONADIO and SUZANNE DALEY ATHENS — Only a month after Greece installed a new government, the country is facing renewed peril. Its official lenders are signaling a growing reluctance to keep paying the bills of the nearly bankrupt nation, even as the government is seeking more leniency on the terms of its multibillion-euro bailout.
Greece Expels Voula Papachristou From Olympics Over Racist Tweets
By DEMETRIS NELLAS ATHENS, Greece — Triple jumper Voula Papachristou was kicked off Greece’s Olympic team Wednesday for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right political party. The Hellenic Olympic Committee said Papachristou is “placed outside the Olympic team for statements contrary to the values and ideas of the … Continue reading
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