Dark Omens

Recent protest in Greece. Not sure which one exactly, because they've been protesting pretty much non-stop for about 5 years. Economic austerity imposed on them from Germany, however, has made the protests of the past few years much more intense.

But protests are protests, and Greece is pretty good at them. What's new is a dark and foreboding development:

Greek NAZIs. The Golden Dawn is ostensibly a political party, but really it's a fascist gang that uses waaaay too many NAZI symbols for any sane collection of people. They've become emergent as the Greek economy has crashed, and in the time tested tactic of all nationalist fascist groups, have used the fear/hate of foreigners as a rallying cry to swell their numbers. They've become a paramilitary force, for example. Witness:

See the black clad goons along the wall? Golden Dawn "Security". Brownshirts, in other words, who have been tied to many assaults and crimes.

It's easy to see the formula at work: Tough economic times create a sense of helplessness, and predatory groups use this feeling to channel their anger towards an "other" - almost always a foreigner of some sort. By joining with other like minded nationalist "patriots" attacking the "decadent Others", folks get a sense of belonging and lose their feelings of helplessness. And thus armies of fascists are formed.

But its not all lost in Greece.

There's still a ton of anarchists!