Council of Europe : the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement (EGAM) denounces the undefensible double game of the Greek PM Samaras on neo-Nazism and his unacceptable support to "Golden Dawn".
Unsurprisingly, the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs of the Council of Europe confirmed yesterday the presence at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of the Greek neo-Nazi Eleni Zaroulia ("Golden Dawn"), and of Tamas Gaudi Nagy, of the Hungarian party Jobbik, which is a racist and antisemitic one, officially strongly inspired by the "Arrow Cross" party, which collaborated with the Nazis, planned and organized the extermination of Jews and Gypsies.
This shows that it is urgent and important to modify the rules of the PACE in order to allow the exclusion of individuals or parties which are the ennemies of the founding values of the Council of Europe : democracy, human rights, equality and Europe.
It is the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his party New Democracy who bear the responsibility of the presence of the neo-Nazis of Golden Dawn at the PACE. Indeed, it is up to each national parliament to decide on the compositions of the delegations. The Greek parliament is thus allowed and entitled to build a coalition without any neo-Nazi.
This has been the pledge of the Greek parties Pasok, Democratic Left (members of the government coalition) and of Syriza since November.
This was the decision taken and announced by the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras when he met in Athens, on December the 17th, the President of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement, Benjamin Abtan.
This meeting followed the great mobilization by the Greek and European civil society under the leadership of EGAM, which gathered more than 10,000 people in the streets of Athens on December 15th, supported by Nobel Prize such as Elie Wiesel or Dario Fo, and prominent European intellectuals such as Bernard Kouchner, Adam Michnik or Serge Klarsfeld.
The decision by PM Samaras was confirmed and announced by New Democracy on December the 19th.
But, the Greek delegation which was sent on Monday to the PACE has the neo-Nazi Eleni Zaroulia in it : PM Samaras thus did exactly the opposite of what he pledged and announced he would do.
He brings a strong support to the Greek neo-Nazis, which supported the Dictatorship of the Colonels and, who, thanks to him and New Democracy, are part of an institution which was built to prevent Nazism, which fought against the Dictatorship of the Colonels and allowed the return of democracy in Greece.
He shows an unacceptable contempt of the European civil society and of the Nobel Prize and intellectuals who support it in its fight for democracy.
The European Grassroots Antiracist Movement EGAM denounces the undefensible double game of the Greek PM Samaras on neo-Nazism and his unacceptable support to the neo-Nazis of "Golden Dawn".
