As predicted by the Slog last month, the attempt by Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to frame the far-right Golden Dawn party in the case of the murder of a young Leftist has backfired. The last poll from this source had GD in 2nd place. The Party has now taken over the top spot.
Between 25-29th of October, 1,423 Greeks were polled about their voting intentions. Golden Dawn scored 22%, followed very closely by SYRIZA. New Democracy (the governing Party in Coalition with PASOK) came a very poor third. Men and older respondents are significantly more likely to vote Golden Dawn than women and the young.
Two Golden Dawn members were murdered last week, after the Poll took place. It is likely that this will have strengthened rather than weakened sympathy among traditional Greeks for the Far Right Party.
The author of the Slog has been traveling into, out of, and around Greece since last March. While the author says he is surprised by the size of the Golden Dawn revival, he is not remotely surprised by the confrontation now boiling up between the Hard Left and the Hard Right. Middle class and skilled working class Greeks talk openly about the possibility of Civil War and/or a military putsch. Senior professional and other well-off Greeks still seem to be living in a bubble – as are the bureaucratic and political classes.
According to him, the country is heading towards a classic reversion to the extreme, caused by an economic crisis massively exacerbated by Brussels-am-Berlin austerity obsession. The support for Golden Dawn has jumped further since EC commissioner Olli Rehn admitted late last month that debt relief for Greece was to be delayed. The west European and US mainstream media may have lost interest in Greece, but they need to reverse that apathy with all speed.
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