Two members of Greek extreme far-right political party Golden Dawn will visit Australia this week to raise funds and meet local supporters, according to a Guardian report.
Ignatius Gavriilidis, Golden Dawn’s Australian representative, said that the party members will be in Australia “in the coming days” and that their visit will be “very under the radar.”
The two Golden Dawn members are Georgios Epitideios, a member of the European parliament, and Michalis Giannagkonas, a party organizer. The two men will be in Australia for a series of events with local supporters in Sydney and Melbourne, Gavriilidis has confirmed.
The two politicians had announced their visit to Australia in August. However, their announcement was met with disapproval within the Greek Australian Community and Australian communities in general. Victorian MP Nick Kotsiras had said that Golden Dawn’s political message is that of hatred and has minimal support among Greeks in Australia.
“Golden Dawn does not represent me … and does not represent the vast majority of Greeks living in Australia … They are the antithesis of what the Hellenic spirit is all about,” Kotsiras had said at an abc.net.au report in August. He also said that they (the Golden Dawn members) would have to pass a character test to enter Australia since Golden Dawn has been characterized as a criminal organization.
Labor MP Michael Danby had asked Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to “deny them visas.” Meanwhile, the Melbourne Anti-Fascist Initiative will have a protest rally against Golden Dawn, as activist Alex Kakafikas claims. “We’re planning something that’s going to let them know their politics aren’t welcome here,” he said.
Gavriilidis said that the Greek ultra-nationalists will “meet their supporters and inform them of what’s going on overseas. The truth needs to be told; a lot of people are misinformed.” He also said that people who are anti-Golden Dawn will have an opportunity to sit down and talk with them and hear their views.
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