The recent and immediate reaction of the French Republic against the action of extreme movements, after a group of far-right skinheads caused the death of a left-wing activist, raises a legitimate question for Greece. How should the Hellenic Republic deal with the penetration, at an alarming rate, of a political party-militia (milices), which adopts the model of a mass-based party, being present in the Parliament, while it keeps on developing in a paramilitary way?
France, June, 5 2013: Death of Clément Méric, left-wing activist, member of the Anti-fascist Action Paris-Banlieue and Solidaires Etudiant-e-s, after a clash with a group of far-right skinheads.
June, 8 2013: The President of France, Jean - Marc Ayrault, announces the procedure of dissolving the right-wing movement 'Jeunesses nationalistes révolutionnaires' (JNR), whose members are considered to get engaged to Clément Méric’s death.
June, 11 2013: Jean - Marc Ayrault announces that a similar procedure will be put in force for the movement 'Troisième Voie', to which the prime suspects are related.
June, 25 2013: Serge Ayoub, leader of these two movements, announces their self-dissolution, saying that he “… made the decision, before they are dissolved by others…”
July, 10 2013: The Council of Ministers declares the dissolution of the two movements on the ground that “… they disseminate an ideology which incites hatred and racist discriminations…”. On the same day, Serge Ayoub announces his intention to bring an appeal to the Court of State for abuse of power against the decree of dissolution, pointing out that “… none of the writings of the movement 'Troisième Voie' encourages racial hatred and JNR movement is not a private militia but a security service…”
July, 23 2013: The Council of State rejects the request to suspend the enforcement of the decree.
The French Republic reacted immediately against this violent situation taking advantage of the benefits provided by the rule of law, but the Hellenic Republic is still moving again among various arguments
In a short time, the French Republic reacted immediately against this violent situation taking advantage of the benefits provided by the rule of law. The rule of state is closely linked to the respect for the hierarchy of norms, the separation of powers and human rights, i.e. the development of constitutional governance. It is the mechanism of collective shielding of the society. The enforcement of the rule of law is not a matter of subjective estimation and ideological approach. It is the safeguard for the protection of the democratic culture of society. F. Hollande acted as a guardian of the French society and not as a socialist President of French Republic. His decision about declaring fascist far-right movements illegal does not actually pre-empt their recurrence, their rebirth in a different form, but he stigmatizes them as antisocial entities. This is a significantly strong message of collective vigilance, which does not rely on arguments about “zero tolerance” in an individual level, appropriate to societies of privacy.
After the intentional murder of Pavlos Fissas by an active member of the Golden Dawn, the Hellenic Republic is moving again among various arguments, propaganda sayings, rhetoric blames and every blanket positions, distracting us from the commonplace, the protection of our common democratic source. Focusing on the criminal dimension of the action of the Golden Dawn aims to confuse public opinion. It is a form of democratic diversion from the great issue of the non-democratic, and therefore unconstitutional, character of the ideological and political background, on which the practices of the Golden Dawn are founded. The arguments about implementing the existing law on criminal acts which have already been carried out, investigating into constitution of criminal organisation and, in the near …(sic) future, amendment of crucial regulations of criminal law strictly, to the grade they will be implemented – then so be it - do not answer to the crucial question: how does the Hellenic Republic deal with the penetration, at an alarming rate, of a political party-militia (milices), which adopts the model of a mass-based party, being present in the Parliament, while it keeps on developing in a paramilitary way, if it does not put it out of law?
The Constitution provides, as it should in a simple way, the limits within political parties are supposed to organise and act. Are other laws and constitutional revisions, though, needed so that the Greek state remembers which its democratic obligations are? Even if so, there is a huge need for citizens to undertake this challenge for democracy.
