Greece: Neo-Fascist Rampage Protected By Police; Strikes Gather Momentum

By greydogg and snake arbusto, 99GetSmart

- Elected MPs from Greece's radical parties, SYRIZA and Golden Dawn, participated and cooperated in an organized demonstration by the Greek police to protest looming cuts in their wages and pensions.

StopCartel's Dr. Giorgos Kosmopoulos commented, "Every citizen and every party agrees with their cause. (Instead of joining forces with Golden Dawn) SYRIZA should limit their support for the police to an official statement."

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- On Saturday, while their bodyguards looked the other way, three MPs from the radical ultra-nationalist partyGolden Dawn led a group of supporters on a rampage against foreign vendors at outdoor markets in Messolongi and Rafina, located in Central Greece.

Greek Minister for Public Order Nikos Dendias, reacting to public criticism, suspended the Rafina police chief. His ministry said it also removed the state-appointed bodyguards protecting Golden Dawn MP's, "to spare policemen the conflict of having to either protect the deputies or stop them from illegal behavior."

This is the first time security detail has been revoked for Members of Parliament.

Update from Athens News:

The Neo-Fascist Golden Dawn has reacted angrily to the public order minister's decision to withdraw all police protection from the party's MPs. Nikos Dendias ordered an end to the security detail after Golden Dawn said it would continue its attacks against alleged unlicensed street traders. "The memorandum regime and the loan sharks are violating the constitution and exercising raw terrorism against a legal political party," Golden Dawn said, adding that the police had failed to supply guards for its central offices, in violation of its legal obligations. The party also said it would be taking legal action.

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- The Troika arrived in Athens over the weekend to conclude a report on Greece's progress in meeting the terms of the Memorandum. The results of this report will determine whether Greece will receive the next installment of 31 -- billion in "rescue loans.'

On Monday, Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said, "We have submitted the 11.5-billion package to the Troika. A discussion and an evaluation are taking place,"

Socialist (PASOK) leader Evangelos Venizelos, whose unpopular party is part of the cobbled-together Greek coalition government, said:

"We have not finished because the Troika has not accepted all of the proposals but we have made alternative ones. That's because there are issues over which we cannot yield, benefits for the disabled cannot be harmed, we cannot make horizontal cuts on the issue of pensions, there has to be fairness and justice thus there are limits."

"Europeans need to understand that the Greek people cannot take any more," said Fotis Kouvelis, head of moderate leftists Democratic Left.

The scripted theater performance will continue throughout the week, with various meetings scheduled between Finance Minister Stournaras and the Troika's clerks, who will try to come to an agreement on 11.9 -- million in new austerity measures. It is well known that the cuts in wages and pensions are economic measures against working people in both the public and private sector.