In statements made to journalists during the campaign for the 2010 local election, then-candidate for municipal councillor and current Golden Dawn MP Elias Panagiotaros said that, “If Golden Dawn elects a municipal councillor in Athens, a pogrom will ensue. Victoria Square [a location where many immigrants gather] is up next”.54 During an electoral campaign speech on 6 June 2012, the same Golden Dawn MP informed the public that, “If Golden Dawn enters the Parliament, it will storm hospitals and childcare establishments and start throwing out illegal immigrants and their children, in order to replace them with Greeks”. A short while later, soon ater he was elected as an MP, Panagiotaros submitted a question to Parliament (No 354/1-10-2012) to the ministers of labour and interior on the subject of “balloted positions in municipal and local day nurseries and childcare establishments”55, asking for information regarding infants of foreign origin that had been admitted into these institutions, their parents, and their countries of origin. Then Interior Minister Evripides Stylianides hastened to oblige him, despite the “promise” of throwing out little children made by Golden Dawn before the election. Stylianides was quick to ask the regional administrations for the relevant data, with a ministerial document signed the very same day and deemed “extremely urgent”, no less. Over the following period, it was made clear that the Golden Dawn MP’s words were not mere threats. The organization took action soon ater, with its members and MPs visiting hospitals, schools and day nurseries in order to terrorize foreign patients and nurses, creating a climate of fear among parents, pupils and infants, and fostering an atmosphere of discord, animosity and hatred among parents, teachers and children.56 Sadly, no prosecutor found it convenient to simply investigate any of these actions of his or her own accord. In June 2012, current Golden Dawn MP Yannis Lagos informed his public at an election campaign gathering in Keratsini, Piraeus that Golden Dawn takes all “actions”57 necessary to “get rid of the stench”, and went on to say that Egyptian ishermen in the area are bad for Greek ish merchants’ business, because they are uncontrollable. Thus, “from now on they will answer to Golden Dawn”.58 A few hours later, in the middle of the night, at least ten members of the organization, armed with batons and iron bars, attacked the home of some Egyptian ishermen in the nearby Perama area. They inlicted severe head and facial injuries to 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. See http://antapokritis.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/%CF%84%CE%B1-%C2% AB%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%BA%CF%81%CF%8C%CE%BC%C2%BB%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82-%CE%B5%CF%80%CF%8C%CE%BC%CE%B5%CE%BD %CE%B7%CF%82-%CE%BC%CE%AD%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%82/ http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/c0d5184d-7550-42658e0b078e1bc7375a/7743585.pdf. See http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=359971. The Nazi organization is very fond of the term “actions”; by this, they usually mean “criminal acts”. See the video of the speech, http://let.gr/news/ypopsiios-tis-hrysis-aygis-proanaggelleiti-dolofoniki-epithesi-stoys-aigyptioys-psarades; on the conlicting interests of ish merchants in Perama, cf. https://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_ id=1412837. MAPPING ULTRA-RIGHT EXTREMISM, XENOPHOBIA AND RACISM WITHIN THE GREEK STATE APPARATUS | 53