With hate slogans against nine refugee children, a group of far-right-wing members of the so-called ‘Patriotic Movement of Oraiokastro Citizens’ demonstrated their opposition to spread the Greek culture to “illegals” as they called the refugee children.
The angry groups also shot a vulgar attack in the memory of Petros Fyssas, the leftist-rapper who was stabbed to death by a Golden Dawn member in 2013.
The atmosphere was tense as dozens of members of left-wing organizations and the anti-authoritarian movement had gathered in an anti-protest.
Riot policemen functioned as a wall between the two groups, while parents were rushing to pick up their children form the school in order to protect them.
For hours, two riot police squads were struggling to keep the two groups at a safe distance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_UD3DrMjDk
At two points a serious conflict was averted in the last moment when members from both groups jumped over the railing and landed in the school yard.
A video shows anti-authoritarians beating a members of the far-right. the man was injured and transferred to hospital.
At some point, the protesters shouted “Greetings to Fyssas” to members of the solidarity groups who had were there to welcome the refugee children and give them a present.
The far-right also harassed a journalist, while she was reporting live about the protest.
While the reporter speaks on a live stream with Skai TV, an old man nears shouting “Illegals out! I don’t want the Illegals.” Later some more men near and verbally attack the reporter with vulgar expressions. Some of them put their hands in frontnt of the camera.
Previous to the attack, some women told the reporter to leave because she “was misleading the public.” The reporter had asked who had thrown a stone.
Daily Ethnos notes that “none of the far-right protesters was parent of a child” at the specific elementary school of Oraiokastro, near Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.
When the bus with the nine refugee children arrived at school, the angry ‘patriots” booed the kids and shouted “My homeland won’t fall” and “traitors!”.
The far-rights claim that “refugee children in Greek schools are part of a broader plan to islamize the country.”
The protest started on Friday.
Today, Tuesday, strong riot police forces are guarding the school, many parents decided to not send their children to school for three days.
According to Skai reporter, the children’s parents say that they want the refugee children, however they have also sympathy for the Patriotic Movement as the living conditions of the refugee children might not be appropriate in terms of hygiene.
The Greek government has repeatedly said that all the refugee children attending the special classes in schools have been vaccinated. But opponents will always find a reason for complain.
PS and to think that these children escaped war and hardship to come to civilized Europe.
Fascism never really left Europe. Most of the really evil ones were executed or imprisoned after the Nuremberg Trials, so that generation was effectively silenced. This is the new generation of thugs and Nazis — taking advantage of the failures of capitalism and the weaknesses of liberal democracy. Greece is actually not so badly affected, as Golden Toilet lost their support in recent years. A far bigger problem lies with the USA and northern Europe, not to forget the East European fascists who obviously miss the Stalinist years and want to be brutally oppressed again.