Golden Dawn temporarily ceased political operations in 2005 and was absorbed by the Patriotic Alliance. īy the mid-2000s, Golden Dawn had redirected its attention to opposing non-European, and particularly Muslim, immigration into the mainly Greek areas of southern Greece and Athens. They also aspire "to combat Islam in the region", such as through contributing fighters to the Greek Volunteer Guard that helped capture Srebrenica. They also called to push for the complete Hellenisation of Greek Macedonia and Western Thrace through the expulsion of Northern Greece's last remaining Slavic-speaking minority (or so-called Slavophone Greeks) and the Turkish-speaking Muslim minority of East Macedonia and Thrace that were settled during the Ottoman period (see Western Thrace Turks). By this time, Golden Dawn had adopted several southern Balkan focused regional objectives as its main programme: to promote the idea of a Greater Greece through the expansion of Greek territory into southern Albania ( Northern Epirus), the Republic of North Macedonia, and southern Bulgaria, and ultimately Greece's reconquest of Istanbul and western Anatolia through war with Turkey. 9.1 Rejection of same-sex civil partnershipsĪfter being founded in 1985, Golden Dawn first received significant attention in 1991, and in 1993 registered as a political party.7 Allegations of connections to the Greek police.6.7 2013 shooting of Golden Dawn members.6.5 Liana Kanelli assault and reactions.6.4 Bomb attacks on Golden Dawn offices.Guilty verdicts on charges of murder, attempted murder, and violent attacks on immigrants and left-wing political opponents were delivered and the leadership was sent to prison. The General Secretary Nikolaos Michaloliakos and six other prominent members and former MPs, were charged with running a criminal organization.
On 7 October 2020, the Athens Court of Appeals announced verdicts for 68 defendants, including the party's political leadership. They have also used right-wing populist rhetorics and have been accused of antisemitism, anti-Islamism and anti-Turkism. On social issues, they are traditionalist and oppose immigration, and on fiscal issues they are protectionist. Golden Dawn has been also described as ultranationalist, they support the creation of Greater Greece, and they have been strongly critical of the European Union. According to academic sources, the group is racist and xenophobic, and the party's leader has openly identified it as nationalist and racist. They also use symbolism which is very similar to that of the Nazis, and they have also praised figures of Nazi Germany. The group rejects these labels and its members have expressed admiration for the former Greek dictators Ioannis Metaxas of the 4th of August Regime (1936–1941) and Georgios Papadopoulos of the Regime of the Colonels (1967–1974). Golden Dawn is commonly described as neo-Nazi and neo-fascist. A 2020 survey showed the party's popularity plummeting to 1.5%, down from 2.9% in the previous year's elections, and a peak of 7.0%. Golden Dawn later lost all of its remaining seats in the Greek Parliament in the 2019 Greek legislative election. Following an investigation into the 2013 murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas by a self-identified member, Michaloliakos and several other Golden Dawn MPs and members were arrested and held in pre-trial detention on suspicion of forming a criminal organization. In this context, Golden Dawn had its origins in the movement that worked towards a return to right-wing military dictatorship in Greece. Nikolaos Michaloliakos began the foundations of what would become Golden Dawn in 1980, when he published the first issue of the right-wing, pro-military junta journal by the name Chrysi Avgi.
The criminal trial against the leaders, frequently described as the largest Nazi trial since Nuremberg, lasted more than five years.
Its support has since plunged, and it failed to enter parliament in the 2019 election. Golden Dawn rose to prominence during Greece's financial crisis of 2009, becoming the third most popular party in the Greek parliament in 2012. The Popular Association – Golden Dawn ( Greek: Λαϊκός Σύνδεσμος – Χρυσή Αυγή, romanized: Laïkós Sýndesmos – Chrysí Avgí), usually shortened to Golden Dawn ( Greek: Χρυσή Αυγή, romanized: Chrysí Avgí, pronounced ), is a far-right ultranationalist political party in Greece.