Extremist Parties Rise as Government Support Retreats

EKATHIMERINI
By Nick Malkoutzis

GREECE---In his customary message to elementary and middle school teachers and pupils, Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the Church of Greece, admitted that the older generation has failed in its task to bequeath a better world upon the younger generation. The Church of Greece, though, remains bafflingly silent on the crucial issues bedeviling Greece today. The rise and condemnable behavior of far-right Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) is one of the worrying developments that the church has yet to take a position on. The neofascist party has done a tremendous job in filling the gap that has emerged between a retreating state and a distrustful and despondent public. It is a recipe that has been followed successfully by extremist parties in the Middle East and other parts of the world. [link]