National Party – Greeks

National Party – Greeks
Εθνικό Kόμμα – Έλληνες
PresidentDimitrios Chatziliadis[1]
FounderIlias Kasidiaris
Founded4 June 2020 (2020-06-04)
Split fromGolden Dawn
HeadquartersKlisthenous 17, Athens
Youth wingHellenes Youth
IdeologyGreek nationalism[2]
Anti-immigration[3][4][5][6]
Islamophobia[4]
Nativism[7]
Neo-fascism[4]
Post-fascism
Political positionFar-right[3][4][5][8][9][6]
ReligionGreek Orthodox Church
National affiliationSpartans
Colours  Blue
Regional councillors
2 / 611
Municipal councillors
2 / 8,481
Election symbol
Hoplite
Website
ellhnes.net
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National Party – Greeks (Greek: Εθνικό Kόμμα – Έλληνες, romanized: Ethnikó Kómma – Éllines),[10][11][12] formerly Greeks for the Fatherland (Greek: Έλληνες για την Πατρίδα, romanized: Éllines gia tin Patrída), is a Greek far-right[7][13] political party founded on 4 June 2020, by Ilias Kasidiaris, a former MP and spokesperson of Golden Dawn, who is currently serving a 13-year prison term for his involvement in the criminal organisation[14][15][16][17] run by Golden Dawn, allegations for which he maintains his innocence.[18]

History

Former party logo

After Golden Dawn's failure to secure seats in the 2019 Greek legislative election,[19][20][21] prominent members of the party stepped down from their positions and distanced themselves from leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos.[22] Noticeably, Giannis Lagos MEP announced his departure from Golden Dawn, along with Giorgos Germenis, Nikos Kouzilos and Panagiotis Iliopoulos to start a new party called National Popular Consciousness.[23][24][25] All of them were later sentenced to lengthy prison terms as a result of their involvement in running a criminal organisation.[14]

Similarly, on 21 May 2020[26] and after much speculation, Ilias Kasidiaris a MP of Golden Dawn for eight consecutive years, from 2012 to 2019, announced his resignation via YouTube, and the creation of a new party led by himself, under the name Greeks for the Fatherland.[27][28] However, he was arrested in October 2020 right after the announcement of his conviction.[29]

In May 2021, the Greek Parliament voted to impose partial bans on all convicted members of Golden Dawn, including Ilias Kasidiaris, which stripped them of some political rights.[30]

As of 2022, Kasidiaris remains in prison and maintains his right to be elected as party member, but is not allowed to stand for leader of a party.[31] Former Golden Dawn MP Konstantinos Barbarousis, who is also serving his prison sentence, and former Golden Dawn MEP Lampros Fountoulis have joined the party. Ioannis Malandris, former general secretary and many other former members of the "Patriotic Radical Union" party joined Kasidiaris party in 2022.[32] [33][34] In December 2022, the joint descent to the 2023 elections with the National Front and LEPEN was announced.[35]

In March 2023, the cooperation with EAN of the former deputy prosecutor Anastasios Kanellopoulos was announced, who took over as head of the National Party – Greeks in the position of the political Council of the party.[1]

On 1 April 2023, it was announced that the cooperation of the National Front with the National Party would end due to the ban on Ilias Kasidiaris stepping down as president.[36]

Following the exclusion of the National Party from both the May and June 2023 elections, Kasidiaris announced its "full support" for the Spartans political party.[37][38] The Spartans party won 12 seats in the elections. In his first public statement after the election, Stigkas openly thanked Kasidiaris for "[being] the fuel that has propelled us to [entering parliament]".[39]

Ideology

In its official website, the party states it aims at reverting the demographic decline, develop the Greek national economy and that it favors anti-immigration.[40]

The party has not openly embraced neo-Nazism and Kasidiaris' statement in 2020 rejected Nazism.[41] However, being an offspring of Golden Dawn, the party appears to share similar views with its core ideology,[42] mainly in terms of ultra-nationalism, anti-immigration, Islamophobia and rejection of globalization. As a consequence, its political ideology is being questioned in relation to the past events and recent split from Golden Dawn[43][44][45] and some academics, Greek and International media have described Greeks for the Fatherland as extremist[7][46] and far-right.[43][47] The party is person-centric with Ilias Kasidiaris being the leading voice.[48]

A member of Greeks of the Fatherland is associated with the fringe antivax group Thematofylakes tou Syntagmatos (Greek: Θεματοφύλακες του Συντάγματος). He was among a group of Thematofylakes tou Syntagmatos members that were arrested for insurrection, violence against public workers, and the kidnapping of a school headmaster in Pieria.[49] Some youth neo-Nazi groups in Central Greece have also been linked to Greeks for the Fatherland in late 2021 after their involvement in violent student protests.[50][51]

2023 election ban

In January 2023, efforts began by the Greek Government to ban Kasidiaris' party from running in the 2023 elections.[52] On 8 February 2023, an amendment was nominated by the Plenary of the Hellenic Parliament, which puts a brake on the descent of Ilias Kasidiaris in the 2023 elections, but also on other political figures whose leaders have been convicted of criminal acts.[53] The party was banned from running in the election by the Areios Pagos on 2 May 2023.[54]

References

  1. ^ a b ""Τρικ" Κασιδιάρη: Πληροφορίες ότι το κόμμα του θα εμφανιστεί με άλλον αρχηγό".
  2. ^ https://www.cnn.gr/politiki/story/220225/neo-ethnikistiko-komma-idryei-o-hlias-kasidiaris Νέο εθνικιστικό κόμμα ιδρύει ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης
  3. ^ a b "In Greece, a new far right movement is taking the stage". Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d ""Greeks for the Fatherland": Ilias Kasidiaris and Greece's New Far-Right Party". foiaresearch.net. FOIA Research. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Greeks for the Fatherland Looks Like Golden Dawn Remake". thenationalherald.com. New York City: The National Herald. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b ""Greeks": Kasidiaris presented the name of the new far-right party [video]". thetoc.ge (in Greek). TheToc Team. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Karakatsouli, Anna (2021). "Conflicting Claims over the Legacy of 1821: The Case of the Far Right in Greece". Journal of Modern Greek Studies. 39 (1): 71–91. doi:10.1353/mgs.2021.0004. ISSN 1086-3265. S2CID 242982835.
  8. ^ "Ο Κασιδιάρης, οι "Ελληνες" και τα "ορφανά" της Ακροδεξιάς". in.gr (in Greek). 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Ακροδεξιά βαφτίσια: "Ελληνες", το νέο μόρφωμα (δήθεν κόμμα) του Κασιδιάρη". huffingtonpost.gr (in Greek). HuffPost. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Πόσο ανησυχητική είναι η δημοσκοπική παρουσία του κόμματος του Ηλία Κασιδιάρη". ΤΑ ΝΕΑ (in Greek). 16 December 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  11. ^ ""Συναγερμός" για το κόμμα του Κασιδιάρη – Ψάχνουν νομικό "όπλο" για να μπλοκάρουν την κάθοδό του στις εκλογές" (in Greek). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  12. ^ Newsroom (2 January 2023). "Θα μπουν ξανά στη Βουλή οι νεοναζί;". www.kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 9 January 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ Samaras, Georgios (22 September 2021). "Golden Dawn's Visual Diary: An Analysis of Content Shared by Greek Extremists on Youtube from 2012 to 2019". Rochester, NY. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3873562. S2CID 239120497. SSRN 3873562.
  14. ^ a b "Greek court imposes jail terms on far-right Golden Dawn leaders". Reuters. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  15. ^ Kitsantonis, Niki; Magra, Iliana (7 October 2020). "Golden Dawn Found Guilty of Running Criminal Organization in Greece". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Greece Golden Dawn: Neo-Nazi leaders guilty of running crime gang". BBC News. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Neo-Nazi leaders of Greece's Golden Dawn sentenced to 13 years". the Guardian. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  18. ^ IEFIMERIDA.GR, NEWSROOM (16 October 2020). "Δίκη Χρυσής Αυγής-Κασιδιάρης: Είμαι αθώος, αλλά με κρίνατε με 20.000 βίαιους διαδηλωτές απέξω". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Neo-fascist Golden Dawn party crashes out of Greek parliament". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
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  21. ^ "The dusk after the dawn: fall of a Greek Neo-Nazi party". openDemocracy. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Δημήτρης Ψαρράς: "Δεν νοείται Χρυσή Αυγή χωρίς τον Αρχηγό της"". LiFO (in Greek). 16 December 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  23. ^ "Ο Λαγός έριξε τη Χρυσή Αυγή στον... Καιάδα". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). 15 July 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  24. ^ "Υπό διάλυση η Χρυσή Αυγή – Ανεξαρτητοποιήθηκε ο Λαγός". www.sofokleousin.gr (in Greek). 13 July 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  25. ^ Publisher, Aftodioikisi (1 July 2019). "Μετά από Λαγό Ηλιόπουλο, φεύγουν Γερμενής, Κούζηλος". Aftodioikisi.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  26. ^ "Νέο κόμμα ανακοίνωσε ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης". ProtoThema (in Greek). 2 May 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Ο Κασιδιάρης γυρνά την πλάτη στο Μιχολολιάκο και ιδρύει με βίντεο νέο κόμμα". ΣΚΑΪ (in Greek). 21 May 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  28. ^ "Χρυσή Αυγή: Η αποχώρηση Κασιδιάρη είναι το κερασάκι στην "τούρτα" της αποσύνθεσης". Έθνος (in Greek). 2 May 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Convicted leader of Greece's far-right Golden Dawn hands himself in". Reuters. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  30. ^ Γεωργιοπούλου, Τάνια (29 May 2021). "Στέρηση πολιτικών δικαιωμάτων για τους καταδικασμένους της Χρυσής Αυγής | Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ". www.kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  31. ^ "Προβληματισμός για την αύξηση των ποσοστών του Κασιδιάρη – Γιατί δεν μπορεί να είναι υποψήφιος πρόεδρος στις εκλογές". The TOC (in Greek). 13 March 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  32. ^ ""Γελοία" απόφαση μιας "γελοίας" κυβέρνησης".
  33. ^ Group), Radiotileoptiki S. A. (OPEN Digital (1 January 1980). "Ο Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης "μπροστάρης" σε πορεία στη ΔΕΘ με συνθήματα κατά Μητσοτάκη". ΕΘΝΟΣ (in Greek). Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Χρυσή Αυγή: Η καταδίκη φέρνει πολιτική εξαΰλωση – Στο χείλος του γκρεμού και το κόμμα Κασιδιάρη". Reader (in Greek). Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  35. ^ Manos (6 December 2022). "Μήνυμα νίκης από το Αγρίνιο". Εθνικό Μέτωπο.
  36. ^ "Αποδέσμευση από την εκλογική συνεργασία του Εθνικού Μετώπου με τους". Εθνικό Μέτωπο. April 2023.
  37. ^ "Εκλογές 2023: Τους «Σπαρτιάτες» στηρίζει ο Κασιδιάρης μετά το νέο «μπλόκο»". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ (in Greek). 8 June 2023.
  38. ^ "Εκλογές 2023: Τα 32 κόμματα που συμμετέχουν". protothema.gr. 8 June 2023.
  39. ^ "Η πρώτη δήλωση του προέδρου των Σπαρτιατών και το "ευχαριστώ" στον Κασιδιάρη". www.naftemporiki.gr (in Greek). 25 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  40. ^ "Κυβερνητικό Πρόγραμμα". ΕΛΛΗΝΕΣ | ELLHNES.net. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  41. ^ Tsagkroni, Vasiliki (2020). "In Greece, a new far right movement is taking the stage". OpenDemocracy.
  42. ^ Chappell, Bill; Kakissis, Joanna (14 October 2020). "Golden Dawn: Leader Of Greek Neo-Nazi Party Sentenced To 13 Years In Prison". NPR. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  43. ^ a b Σ, Κανέλλης Βασίλης (24 March 2022). "Οι ακροδεξιοί του Κασιδιάρη ξανά στη Βουλή;". Ειδήσεις – νέα – Το Βήμα Online (in Greek). Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  44. ^ "Κόμμα Κασιδιάρη: Νεοναζισμός με πατέντα". HuffPost Greece (in Greek). 6 June 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  45. ^ Κανέλλης, Βασίλης Σ (8 October 2021). "Ο οργασμός της σκύλας, ο νεοναζί Κασιδιάρης και οι φασίστες συμπολίτες μας". in.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  46. ^ Boukala, Salomi (9 December 2021). "Far-right discourse as legitimacy? Analysing political rhetoric on the "migration issue" in Greece". Studies in Communication Sciences. 21 (2): 329–341–329–341. doi:10.24434/j.scoms.2021.02.014. ISSN 2296-4150. S2CID 237951991.
  47. ^ Newsroom (22 September 2020). "Το τελευταίο (;) τανγκό της Χρυσής Αυγής | Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ". www.kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 1 May 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  48. ^ "Έρευνα: Η Χρυσή Αυγή από τα έδρανα στη φυλακή – Ενδείξεις προνομιακής μεταχείρισης;". parallaximag.gr (in Greek). 28 February 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  49. ^ "Αποκάλυψη του in.gr: Χρυσαυγίτης και στο κόμμα του Κασιδιάρη ο απαγωγέας του καθηγητή στην Πιερία". ΤΑ ΝΕΑ (in Greek). 11 December 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  50. ^ "Το αυγό του φιδιού επωάζεται στις Δυτικές συνοικίες". parallaximag.gr (in Greek). 22 January 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  51. ^ Provo.Gang (8 October 2021). "Με το #Μαζι_σου_Ηλια βγήκε ο φασίστας της διπλανής πόρτας στο φως". Provocateur (in Greek). Retrieved 16 May 2022.
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  53. ^ "Βουλή: Πέρασε η διάταξη για το "στοπ" στο κόμμα Κασιδιάρη – "Ναι" από ΝΔ- ΠΑΣΟΚ, "παρών" από ΣΥΡΙΖΑ". 8 February 2023.
  54. ^ "Greece's top court bans far-right party from May election". Al Jazeera. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.