criminal organizations
Golden Dawn meets its fate, the US Ambassador to the Netherlands fetes the FvD and more
Welcome to Opportunists, charlatans, and… a newsletter tracking the activities, connections, and occasional major f*ck-ups of the far right.
By the far right, I mean the whole gang with all their varied academic and self-applied monikers: xenophobic populists, nativists, infiltrators, white nationalists, paleo-libertarians, illiberal authoritarians, anti-globalist internationals, etc. until infinity.
I write this newsletter from the perspective that the entire far-right is primarily composed of greed-driven people who use divisive, exclusionary politics to gain power and frequently, to turn a profit. (And some of them, I assume, are sincere.) It’s often difficult to tell the difference between the opportunists, charlatans, and the true believers, but parsing the contents of fascists’ souls is not what matters: what matters is what they actually do and how they harm our societies.
So in this newsletter, you’ll get an overview of the latest instances in which some of the major groups and leaders have made themselves visible, in the hopes that exposure is a first step towards understanding their vulnerabilities: where they get their money and support, who their friends are, how they game the system to their advantage, and how we can stop them at every turn.
In this inaugural issue:
The leaders of Golden Dawn are going to jail. But what about their special helpers in uniform?
The US accused of election interference in the Netherlands because of an ambassador who “lies about lying”.
GREECE - Unindicted co-conspirators?
“I’m one of yours. I’m Golden Dawn.”
-Giorgios Roupakias to the police after being apprehended in the murder of Greek anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas in 2013.
On Wednesday, October 7th a trio of judges from the Court of Appeals in Athens ruled that neo-nazi group Golden Dawn constitutes a “criminal organization” masquerading as a political party, and convicted some 60 defendants of crimes ranging from murder to illegal weapons possession. Outside the courthouse, thousands of anti-fascist demonstrators gathered to hear the historic ruling, only to be violently dispersed with tear gas and water cannons by police briefly after the verdict was announced.
Rank and file members as well as top-tier leadership were sentenced to prison, including party chief Nikolaos Michaloliakos and 17 other former lawmakers, under a Greek criminal statute barring organized crime, i.e., organizations that direct, order, and inspire criminal activity. Proving a conspiracy of active collaboration between members is crucial for making such a case.
But if collaborators are criminally liable for the actions of others in their network, where does that leave the Greek police?
Golden Dawn operated as a sort of neo-nazi neighborhood watch that profited financially and politically from two simultaneously occurring developments in the 2000s: crushing EU-imposed austerity that cut social services dramatically, and an incoherent national and EU-wide immigration policy that left thousands of newcomers with uncertain status to fend for themselves in Greek cities.
The decades-old Golden Dawn took advantage of the fears locals had of the new migrant population by campaigning on ultra-nationalist lines and forming street teams to “patrol” neighborhoods: in reality, terrorizing people they saw as migrants as well as LGBTQ people, Muslims, Roma and trade unionists with beatings, robberies and demands of funds from immigrant-run businesses. At the same time, their reputation for stepping in to provide the order the Greek government apparently could not (combined with a healthy appetite for racist and nationalist politics among some segments of society) propelled them to become the third most popular party in Greece by 2015, a position that gave them legitimacy, policy-making power and more importantly, significant state funding.
...That’s in addition to the other forms of support the state was giving them.
Greek police aided in Golden Dawn’s reign of terror by making life even more difficult for their victims: illegally charging fees to file criminal charges, threatening to detain and/or deport migrants who reported hate crimes, or asking victims of hate crimes to accept a verbal apology in lieu of charges (yes, really. read about it HRW’s 2012 report Hate on the Streets.) But Greek police assistance to Golden Dawn (or vice versa) likely went beyond foot-dragging.
In 2013, then-Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks warned of “persistent reports of ill-treatment, including torture, committed by law enforcement officials notably against migrants and Roma”, as well as persistent ethnic profiling and racist attitudes in the security service ranks. In the same time period, there were reports that police were directing people to Golden Dawn when they reported crimes by presumed migrants, and in one instance, a police officer even took part in a Golden Dawn-coordinated attack on an immigrant-run market. A subsequent report by the UN noted in 2016:
“Allegations of collusion between police officers and the Golden Dawn party also seem to have diminished trust in the police among victims of racist and homophobic violence.”
During the trial that wrapped up this month, the rumors of police collusion were bolstered by direct evidence: tapped phone calls between police and Golden Dawn members, exchanging tip-offs and giving briefings. Eyewitnesses also alleged that police units were present in the lead-up to the attack of Pavlos Fyssas, and didn’t intervene to stop his murder. A lawyer for several of Golden Dawn’s victims, Thanasis Kampagiannis, told Al Jazeera,
“In many cases, the court is looking at incidents where there was a physical presence of police during attacks … and there have been cases when police [were] arresting victims of racist violence and deporting them. It is a constant theme in the trial, and it is now considered obvious.”
This is where the Golden Dawn case raises questions far outside of Greece.
In numerous countries in Europe, government agencies and police have found it useful to collaborate or communicate with far-right forces or even neo-nazis under certain circumstances (very notably in Germany). There are is also persistent evidence of police infiltration by right-wing extremist movements. When these groups and parties are banned or found to be criminally liable, what does it mean for the state employees that help them? And if working for the government is the sure-fire way to shield your violent, racist activities from yielding criminal consequences, aren’t we producing some pretty out-of-whack career incentives for young right-wingers?
The case against Golden Dawn in Greece was an incredibly important signal that impunity for right-wing terror can be challenged by laws and institutions. But as governments move to ban neo-nazi groups or classify them as criminal organizations, we’ve got to ensure that wearing a police uniform isn’t one way to escape accountability.
Further reading/listening:
The Rise and Fall of Golden Dawn - The Guardian
Interview with Daphne Halikiopoulou - Episode #18 Radikaal podcast
The Adults Are Back in Charge of Greece. And They Are Really Right-Wing. - The New York Times
Europe's right-wing extremists try recruiting from police, army - Deutsche Welle
10 MURDERS, 3 NAZIS, AND GERMANY’S MOMENT OF RECKONING - Foreign Policy
NETHERLANDS: Chronicles of Eurabia
When he first arrived in Amsterdam in 2018 after several years hawking Islamophobic conspiracy theories for various right-wing non-profits, newly appointed US Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra was roasted by the Dutch press for his wildly inaccurate previous remarks suggesting that the country had “no-go zones” where “the Islamic movement” was setting politicians on fire. (You can watch his comments here, and see him get amusingly called out by Dutch journalists for lying about them here).
The remarks were just a sliver of the former Republican congressman’s 2015 appearance at a panel called “Muslim Migration into Europe: Eurabia come True?” at the ‘Restoration Weekend’ of the radical anti-Muslim David Horowitz Freedom Center, an event which raised half a million dollars according to tax filings. At that time, DHFC was firmly in support of a Dutch far-right grifter: Geert Wilders’ of the People’s Party for Freedom (PPV), to which they donated over $100 grand in 2014-2015, in potential violation of US law governing non-profits.
Fast forward to 2020: Hoekstra is once again in the spotlight for helping the far-right hawk their Eurabian fantasies for profit, but now from a more elevated position, and backing a different set of xenophobic profiteers.
According to De Groene Amsterdammer, Hoekstra hosted an exclusive event for the far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) at the US embassy, inviting numerous wealthy entrepreneurs, current FvD donors, and the party’s “inner circle”. In case there were questions about the embassy event, invitees were directed to contact the FvD’s head of fundraising. The evening included a screening of the FvD’s campaign video alongside food and refreshments.
"It was very spectacular. Especially the way in which the party will conduct the campaign and how much it will cost.'
- attendee and media entrepeneur Yves Gijrath about the FvD event at the US embassy
To those unlucky enough not to get an invite to eat chicken wings with fascists, the get-together certainly appeared like a fundraising function for a political party at the US Embassy, which would clearly violate the neutrality provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Both Hoekstra and FvD naturally deny any allegation of impropriety, and likely nothing will come of the scandal, despite inquiries by members of Dutch parliament.
It’s not the first instance of a Trump-appointed US ambassador making a mockery of US diplomatic neutrality. Former Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell was largely ostracized in Berlin circles after making his affinity to far-right politics clear in an interview with Breitbart in which he stated that he wanted to “empower conservatives” throughout Europe. Trump’s election was an opportunity for numerous white nationalists to move from the think-tank fringes to the center of US foreign policy, to the obvious advantage of far-right movements all over the world and in Europe.
Nevertheless, as the US election nears it is interesting to consider what will happen to the allegiances formed by the Trump-era diplomatic corp in the event of a Biden victory - will support, money and chicken wings dry up? And will characters like Hoekstra and Grenell have to return to making appearances on the right-wing prayer breakfast circuit or find other ways to profit from the anti-globalist international?
Further reading:
Dutch Wary of Trump’s Ambassador, Who Imagines “No-Go Zones” in the Netherlands - The Intercept
Dutch far-right leader Baudet had ties to Russia, report says - Politico
MORE:
A new docu-series in Germany profiling young right-wingers features a stunningly transparent quote from the Alternative for Germany (AFD)’s former press speaker Christian Lüth, being recorded without his knowledge while flirting with a right-wing Youtube star. He says that there should be more migrants let into Germany because it makes things worse, then, “afterwards we can always shoot them [the migrants] all. That’s not an issue. Or gas them, or whatever you want.” (Irish Times)
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has hemorrhaged support since leader and former Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache was caught on tape in Ibiza negotiating crimes with a woman posing as the daughter of a Russian oligarch (bless her), an event known as “Ibiza-Gate” that caused the collapse of the governing coalition. Attempting to make a resurgence in local Vienna elections last week, the FPÖ performed poorly, losing 23 points in comparison to 2015. Strache is currently under investigation for graft and embezzlement of party funds. (The Local Austria, Der Spiegel)
Poland is trying to round up support from neighboring countries to ratify the Family Rights Treaty, and reject the Istanbul Convention (a Council of Europe treaty aimed at combatting violence against women.) The proposed Family Rights Treaty garners support from the US-funded network of Christian Right hardliners who oppose marriage equality, sex education, IVF and abortion and push for a return to “traditional gender roles” and the “natural family”. (Balkan Insight)
Thanks for reading! Have a topic you want covered in more depth? Shoot me a message on twitter.
Graffiti image via Itmost on Flickr, (CC by 2.0)