This proofs how undemocratic the Greek State truly is. Writers and journalists are jailed for ''insulting'' persons who openly claim to be ''national-socialist''. School director Vasilis Makrypoulia is a far-right person who openly said he is a ''national-socialist'', but he did not liked the criticism of Stratis Balaskas in the local newspaper. So the far-right school director went to his friends at the police station and ordered the arrest of the journalist!
On his personal weblog; Vasilis Makrypoulia denied the death of 20 students, during the November 1973 attack of the Greek military junta on the university of Athens. The neo-nazi school director said that the deaths were ''total lies'' although it is a historic fact that between 10 en 50 students died during the Athens Polytechnic uprising. The far-right in Greece remains a dogmatic supporter of the military junta era. Although Greece returned to democracy in 1974, the seven year reign of the military is still seen as something positive by anti-leftist police officers and army soldiers!
During the seven year reign of the military, leftists were hunted down and jailed. A golden era for anticommunists and supporters of Greek nationalism. After 1974, the leaders of the junta were arrested and jailed. In jail they met future Golden Dawn leader Michaloliakos, who was jailed for anti-British rioting. After Michaloliakos served his time in jail, he jailed the army and became a commando. Here he learned that the military still had far-right views and hated the communist party and all leftists in general. Michaloliakos was arrested again in June 1978 for being a member of a far-right group that smuggled weapons. For that he was dismissed from the army!
Greek maybe the birthplace of democracy. But today's Greece is a battlefield between racists and anti-racists. The capitalist state is in chaos, because the European Union demands privatizations and austerity programs to reduce the debs of the state. Many Greek workers lost their jobs and now live on unemployment benefits, that are so low most end up in poverty. Most wages in Greece are between 800 and 1000 euro's a month before taxes. If you are unemployed you get 600 euro's a month to live on. But this is not enough consider that rents and food cost already 600 euro a month, for low cost renting houses and the cheapest food products. Minimum-wage in Greece is only 683 euro a month ( 927 U.S. dollars ) before taxes!
In the chaos of poverty and austerity, the far-right Golden Dawn is winning support. Greek workers are bleeding and some blame immigrants for it. Albanians are targeted by the Golden Dawn and some Greeks support them. The political left-wing is deeply divided. The social democrats support the austerity plans of the EU to save capitalism. They don't care about the Greek working class. Syriza and the KKE are the biggest genuine left-wing parties. But the KKE is deeply sectarian and Stalinist, while Syriza is more moderate socialist and ready to make compromises with the EU.
Not only Stratis Balaskas was arrested for opposing the far-right. The general secretary of the Greek Socialist Workers Party was arrested too for opposing the Golden Dawn. Greek police forces have no problems with arrested anti-racists. Their hatered for socialists, communists and anti-fascists is why they arrest them. Although the Greek military junta was destroyed 40 years ago, the military and police of Greece still have anti-leftist feelings. Neo-nazi's use this and have made good friends within the military and police. Vasilis Makrypoulia was able to get Stratis Balaskas arrested because the school director was called a neo-nazi by the journalist. If the Greek justice jails people for telling the truth then Greek democracy is dying!
Journalist and writer Stratis Balaskas jailed for six months
His crime: Calling a school director a neo-nazi!
