New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. World
  2. Europe
7 June 2012

Video: Golden Dawn spokesman attacks left-wing politicians on live TV

Far-right politician faces arrest after assault of Communist Party member on talk-show.

By Samira Shackle

An arrest warrant has been issued for a member of Greece’s extremist far-right party Golden Dawn (Chrysi Avgi) after he assaulted two left-wing politicians on live television this morning.

During a heated discussion on a political talk show, Ilias Kasidiaris threw water over Rena Dourou, a member of the radical left Syriza party, after she referred to a pending court case pending against Kasidiaris (in which he is accused of being an accomplice in the mugging of a student). He then jumped out of his seat to slap Communist Party member Liana Kanelli, after a disagreement about whether there were oil reserves south of Crete. The show quickly went off air after Kasidiaris hit Kanelli, but some reports suggest that scuffles continued after the cameras were off.

Golden Dawn, which won nearly 7 per cent of the vote on 6 May, is frequently described as a neo-Nazi party, a label it rejects. Members have been accused of being behind recent attacks on immigrants, a charge which the party denies.

Although Kasidiaris was elected to parliament on 6 May, he will not be protected by parliamentary immunity – the House has been dissolved so that elections can take place.

Here is the full clip:

Give a gift subscription to the New Statesman this Christmas from just £49
Content from our partners
How the UK can lead the transition to net zero
We can eliminate cervical cancer
Leveraging Search AI to build a resilient future is mission-critical for the public sector