naturally bearing the features selected by those who imagine it. These are the subjects treated and documented in the present study. 2/ THE TURNING POINT OF AUTUMN 2013: FROM PUBLIC SILENCE TO TRIUMPHANT CONFESSION The assassination of Pavlos Fyssas, as an outcome of previous events, became a catalyst for crucial developments regarding the position of Golden Dawn on the Greek political map. To put it simply: even the political right wing felt unsettled because they saw that, even as Golden Dawn was claiming to give hegemonic expression to the country’s traditional circles of extreme conservatism, it now posed a real threat to social peace. In the autumn of 2013, at the moment when these lines were irst written, the limits were reached in the Greek Republic’s until-then unjustiiable and unbearable tolerance towards its imminent enemy. Golden Dawn was too obviously revealed as a criminal organization combining national socialist ideology with maia practices, until then unperturbed in spreading the seed of violence and toxic ideology within Greek society; a part of which seemed well-disposed to adopt its message. A number of diferent reasons have been given to explain the political consolidation of this organization. Some observers, in a quite one-sided way, point to Greek immigration policy as the sole cause. Of course this policy, which constitutes a total State failure, has something to do with it. Others speak rather abstractly about the predominance of nationalism in Greek political culture, or the historical depths of the ultra-right’s intrusion into the Greek state. Still others blame the Memorandums and the economic crisis for everything. But this is no onesided matter, and it would be a mistake to attribute Golden Dawn’s rise wholly to one factor. The political right inds it convenient to blame immigration for everything, thus pandering to its conservative electorate. Some centre-let intellectuals and parts of the political centre, supporters of the “modernization” of yore, think that bad nationalism is to blame for everything. Parts of the political let blame it on the Memorandums. And yet… it is naturally true that Golden Dawn would not have come this far if it were not for the crisis alicting the country since 2009. The crisis was a catalyst, however, and not the cause. It is also naturally true that immigration has led many people to despair and resentments that have been thoroughly exploited by the ultra-right, in Greece as elsewhere in Europe. Finally, it is naturally true that crude “underdog” Greek nationalism, sometimes adopted even by parts of the let, has served to intoxicate the minds of many. All these factors have something to do with the current situation of the country with regard to Golden Dawn, but it is false to present any of them as single causes. Notwithstanding the pending results of the criminal prosecution of the organization and the ongoing efort at dismantlement, the Greek State and society have a lot more work to do in order to give a convincing and sustainable political answer to the social, political and economic conditions that engendered Nazism in 21st century Greece. Even if the criminal organization is eventually dismantled, even if its ties with the State are restrained or cut 8 | ROSA LUXEMBURG STIFTUNG