First, let me say it's not only "Left wing groups and Jewish communities in Greece" that are "opposed to this Hatewave festival". It's everyone, except the far right extremists themselves. Gasp! Surprise! Yep! Us center-right people (I consider myself of that position) and right-proper people and even some far-right-leaning people are opposed to that and every such expression of hatred and racial... well, stupidity.
That having been said, let me add this: God am I glad and happy and relieved that these people, these haters (actually depressed people, with many problems with their own self image, unemployed, uneducated for the most part) can come to Greece and do their little stupid festival.
Quoting from the Guardian article:
"We want the government to ban the gathering," said Moses Constantinides, president of the community. "We believe its reaction should be strong. The neo-Nazi meeting should not be allowed to take place."
Why should the government ban the festival, ill conceived as it is? What basis do we have to deny these people their little march of hatred? A moral basis? Doubtful. Are we more moral than them? Are we somehow saints and they are demons? What are the lines and where can they be drawn? A legal basis? Let's not even go there. The Constitution protects every opinion, every religion, every gathering, as long as they remain inside the confines of the very law that protects them. An ideological basis? Are we going to turn into fascists ourselves, denying "bad people" their rights and only awarding said rights to "good people"? Far be it from us.
I am glad Greece is a free country - still and in part. In America (for example) I am told one needs a special permission in order to organize a march or festival. Why? Parks, lawns, mountains and dells belong to everyone, one should not need permission to gather and celebrate.
Let me quote from the blog (fonts unchanged, whether bold or title):
"I am terrified."
"BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID"
Why? Why be afraid? No! Do NOT be afraid. Fear, while normal, is the reaction of the misinformed. The reaction of the people who indiscriminately eat the garbage the media feed us with a big spoon. I say be informed. Not afraid. I say be active, not passive. I say give them next to no publicity, do not give them a venue, a ready-made-riverbed for them to spill forth their venomous hatred.
The local authorities want to "stop" the "Hatewave" festival (what a stupid title anyway)? Organize a HUGE concert at the same location, on the same dates. Have music, happenings, informative material, openness and love. Make THEM come to OUR festival. Break away their more sane members, the ones that are on the fence. Make the festival so big and good, that their hateful shrieks get drowned in the sound of merriment. And yes, in case some of them decide to get violent, carry a big stick (the police).
That's the price of freedom: Vigilance. It is easy to ban something, it is not easy to counter it. To expose it for the fraud it is, to soften and incorporate it. It is easy to be afraid, to shut yourself inside. It is not easy to overcome fear, overcome suspicion, overcome inertia and entropy. To make a bold counter-statement and stand by it. No one said freedom is cheap...
5 comments:
Thank you for reading my blog and taking the time to blog about it. I just want to say one thing though. I am terrified not just about the fact that 1000's of neo nazis will be hanging about in Greece but also about the rapid rise of the extreme right all over Europe. That doesn't mean I am misinformed or that I am "eating media garbage" I was a little insulted by that comment. I have experienced racism first hand. I am a foreigner too. So I'm not just a woolly liberal trying to say or do the right thing. These people are highly organised. They don't need our publicity and saying nothing about these people and their hate seems to me to say that we are unconcerned. The freedom issue is a tricky one. Banning their Hatewave would undoubtedly work in their favour. They would be the victims. My issue with them is the incitement of racial hatred and encouragement of hate crimes. I don't know if you know any victims of these people but I do. Do not underestimate these people. They are organised. They are intelligent (well, the leaders are) and they mean to push their agenda forward. The danger is that with the xenophobia here in Greece at an all time high it is an ideal recruiting ground for these people.
A festival has been organised already as a countermeasure.
I will not be shut inside but I will not be anywhere near them. The "big stick" are often our enemy too.
I am on the fence on this issue myself. At first I felt strongly like such a festival shouldn't be allowed to take place. But then my husband posited a 'sane' point of view - where do you draw the line? If we object to extremists, who is to say someone won't object to gays, women, etc. having their own festivals? Well, obviously we can't have that.
Obviously, being American (and an American from the South), I hate the neo-nazi bullshit, I saw it all the time. And it is always the way, the leaders are intelligent and organized, but they have thousands of mindless minions who follow them. And that is an even worse danger. It is the young mind, the mind easily influenced, that I worry about.
Still, I think discussions about these things are healthy and need to be out in the open more. Few people want to talk about these things, as if they can be swept under the carpet. Well, look at what is happening to America now. Too many things are getting swept under the carpet, and what kind of country is it turning into?
The problem with allowing every extremist group to thrive, be they Right or Left, is where are the boundaries of freedom. Who decides? Exteremists within a Democracy, use the system as a tool to gain power, and all the while they are working towards the destruction of that very system. In the West we are policing terrorists and those who mean us harm, could it not be said, and justly, that the Neo Nazis should fall within the same category?
The problem with the rise of the extreme Right is precisely one of the many issues that should, and are concerning us right now. If we are to preserve the Democratic rights, that we have managed to win over centuries of struggle, it is exactly events such as this that we should be monitoring and controlling. This is one of the greatest duties we have towards humanity - to preserve its hard-won rights, by defending them, and combating elements within our society that would, by their very beliefs, destroy us. As for being afraid, all I can say is, it is better to be afraid than to be apathetic. I do agree with you on one point though. Vigilance is a duty of every free person. In the face of utter evil, and Fascism is evil, fear is the first natural response. I don't think what the Diva is saying is be afraid to the point of becoming immobalised, I think she means exactly the opposite, it is fear that generates heroes, not blind bravery. You can only battle evil by understanding exactly how frightening and dangerous it is, and the more aware of these facts you are the more likely you are to find the courage to combat them. The worst thing we could do is to underestimate these people, and to regard them as marginal and unimportant is a massive underestimation of what they can achieve. Europe thought and spoke in exactly the same way about Hitler and his little party in Germany, before he showed all of them what a little hate and prejudice can achieve. It took six years of war, and unknown millions of dead to stop him. Lets not make the same mistake.
Hi Thanos and Melusina
Thank you for replying. I am glad you find my blog interesting and apology accepted.
It is an interesting discussion.
Sadly, fear is a response that is natural in seeing these people with their swastikas and hate uniforms. I think most black people myself included, Jews and non-whites in general feel the same thing when confronted with these symbols of hate.
I fear them and the violence they perpetrate but I am not bowed by them. I am probably going to organise a counter event in Athens with the band and other musicians and artists who object to this hate message. I have some press interest and hope to do my bit through what I am calling "Lovewave"
Also Melusina, as an expat, I wonder if you would like to contribute to my larger project CALLING FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Thanks for your enthusiasm Thanos. I will let you know when the time comes
Happy moving.
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