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The members of Golden Dawn turned yesterday's meeting of the Greek parliament into an arena of unprecedented expressions and threats, and direct curses.

This time the Golden Dawners had set their sights on the members of the main opposition SYRIZA party. The bickering took place during the discussion of the proposal of the leftists to form a parliamentary commission to investigate the developments related to the closure of the former state broadcaster ERT. It is worth noting that the far right had stated that they would support the proposal of the leftists.

It all began when Athanasios Petrakos, a deputy from SYRIZA, said that the Golden Dawners were ringing the phones in the parliament clearly intending to thwart the event of the leftists planned within the Pan-Hellenic anti-racist festival in Kalamata on Saturday. Petrakos’ words that the Golden Dawners had made threats against the participants in SYRIZA’s event enraged Dimitris Koukoutsis, a far-right deputy from the region of Kalamata.

He took the floor and said "SYRIZA consists of people with covered faces and murderers who burn Athens every time."

"You are not dealing with some moderate and insignificant right wing. You must understand that we are not joking," said the Golden Dawner, adding that the calls had been made on the website Indymedia which was famous for its connections with the anarchist community which, in turn, proved SYRIZA’s links with them.

Koukoutsis continued, "Where were Mr. Petrakos and ERT when people who had no means to survive were dying? Mr. Petrakos who had chanted in Messinia (a region in the south-western part of the Peloponnese whose central city is Kalamata – author’s note) the slogan "EAM ELAS Meligalas" which is now hanging on the building of ERT. Then I had responded with the slogan "We will bury you in the sands of Vitsi and Grammos."

The fact that he used the slogans of the two belligerent powers during the disastrous Greek Civil War (1946 - 1949) provoked comments in the ranks of the members of SYRIZA. "Did you say something, Mr. Diamantopoulos?", Koukoutsis asked from the rostrum of the parliament. "I said what you heard," replied the left deputy who, a few months ago, stated that he was an anarchist.

"I did not hear and that is why I am asking you. You will tell it to me outside then," was the Golden Dawner’s reply. The murmuring among the members of SYRIZA continued and Koukoutsis reacted by saying, "Silence, communists."

This reply provoked the discontent of Athanasios Pafilis, a member of the Greek Communist Party. "I am sorry I was not talking to you. I respect you. Those over there are not communists, they are lying communists," said the far-right deputy.

After his speech, he went down and, together with his party fellows, left the plenary hall deliberately passing through the banks of the deputies of SYRIZA. According to the leftists, the Golden Dawners had made threats and curses against them.

The verbal bickering continued in the corridors and at the entrance of the parliament where there usually are TV cameras and parliamentary reporters. According to reports, the members of Golden Dawn cursed their colleagues from SYRIZA, using extremely vulgar and sexist expressions.

Probably, the violent attacks were the result of the conflict between the two parties which was due to the decision of Golden Dawn to organize in Kalamata on 3 and 4 August a festival in honour of the anniversary of the establishment of Ioannis Metaxas’ dictatorship.

SYRIZA has decided to hold an anti-racist festival to thwart the event of the extreme right wing. It will involve many organizations from Kalamata and Athens and, for this purpose, many people will travel by bus to get there.

In turn, the Golden Dawners are determined to hold their event. Local deputy Koukoutsis had even stated for "Pharos" newspaper in Kalamata, "Everyone should know that our festival will take place even if God comes down from above."