OVER 6,000 youth and workers demonstrated last Saturday evening throughout the Athens city centre against a rally organised by the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. Marchers held banners and shouted slogans for the ‘death of fascism’.
There were no police in sight at all during the march. The Greek government has stated that there will be no armed police at demonstrations. But riot police buses blocked the marchers’ way to the fascist gathering of about 200 people.
The Greek government has appointed Yiannis Roubatis as the head of the Greek Intelligence Service (KYP). In the 1980s, Roubatis was an advisor to PASOK Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and in the 1990s a Euro MP of social-democratic PASOK.
Now all Greek army, police and security services are in the hands of anti-working class right wingers.
Following the formation of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and right wing Independent Greeks party government early last week, Panos Kammenos the Independent Greeks leader was appointed Defence Minister.
Then the Athens University professor Yiannis Panousis, an ex-PASOK and Democratic Left parliamentary deputy, was placed Deputy Minister for Internal Affairs in charge of the police. In the past, Panousis has missed no opportunity to attack demonstrating youth and defend savage riot police violence.
Last Friday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lifted the ‘civil mobilisation’ dictatorial order on the workers of the State Electricity Board that had been imposed by the previous government during last June’s strike.
On the same day, the Deputy Minister for Reforms, Yiorghos Katrougalos, met the Executive Committee of the ADEDY (public sector workers federation) and told them that there will be no restoration of wages and pensions this year at all.
