SYRIZA, ND may need to join forces to dampen Golden Dawn influence, MP says
Outspoken SYRIZA MP Petros Tatsopoulos believes his party and New Democracy, or at least sections of the conservative grouping, may have to work together after the next general elections to prevent far right Golden Dawn from gaining influence in Greek politics.
Speaking to ANT-1 TV Wednesday, Tatsopoulos said that opinion polls over the last few months had consistently produced two “unpleasant” findings: a narrow difference between SYRIZA and New Democracy and that Golden Dawn is Greece’s third biggest party. “This would allow a pure Nazi party to become the key component in the post-electoral landscape,” he said.
“We could find ourselves in the unpleasant situation of having a government whose survival will depend on the Nazis being willing to tolerate it, which would create a Nazi agenda,” added the author.
Tatsopoulos has frequently criticized Golden Dawn and he argued that the extremist party was already having an influence over Greek politics, citing the withdrawal of an anti-racism bill. “Rather than have a situation where the Nazis set policy, my view is that we should look at other solutions.”
The SYRIZA deputy’s view was welcomed by Democratic Left, whose spokesman Andreas Papadopoulos said via Twitter that Tatsopoulos’s suggestion deserved closer attention. He also described the author as “one of the few who is battling” Golden Dawn.