Golden Dawn developments ‘testing the far-right waters’ in Cyprus too
The fast moving developments over Golden Dawn in Greece have stirred a domestic debate in Cyprus regarding the nature and the actions of the far-right party of the National Popular Front (NPF or ELAM in its Greek acronym).
The debate heated up after the AKEL leader presented the Justice and Public Order Minister with material showing military style exercises taking place in Troodos with ELAM’s involvement, in scenes resembling Golden Dawn’s structure of violence.
The ELAM leaders have not made a secret out of the close links with its Greek sibling party. “We are the Golden Dawn of Cyprus,” a spokesman declared last week, while reports have attributed attacks against immigrants to the Cypriot xenophobic organisation.
As Dr Christos Kassimeris, Associate Professor in Political Science at the European University of Cyprus, notes, “founded in 2008, and having contested only one national election, the NPF echoes authoritarianism, anti-communism, anti-Turkism, and all things anti-immigration”.
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