Violent extremism in Greece : a comparative analysis of the violence of the two extremes

Abstract

Greece has had a long history of political violence, mostly perpetrated by groups and people faithful to extremist ideologies. In the last decade a number of attacks have been reported that have been attributed to extremists both from the far-left and -right. This study tests how much extremists diverge and converge by examining how they justify their own violent actions and general engagement with violence. I examined and analysed the written production of groups/organisations that have been participated and/or planned violent incidents during the last ten years in Greece and I discovered that they present a lot of common features, but they diverge in others. The central thought behind the study is to demonstrate that not only far left violent organisations, but also the actions of far right groups, like Golden Dawn, should neither be underestimated, nor ignored, but should instead receive a response which is proportionate to the threat they pose to a democratic state.