Ilias Kasidiaris, spokesman for Greece's far-right party Golden Dawn, slaps Communist Party deputy Liana Kanelli on live television on June 7, 2012 in this still image taken from video.REUTERS TV/Reuters
As a general rule, political parties should not be dissolved or suppressed because of their opinions. Golden Dawn, a virulently nationalistic Greek party that can fairly be called fascist, is putting that democratic principle to the test.
On Tuesday, Nils Muiznieks, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe (a body to which all European countries belong) said that, "if necessary," Golden Dawn should be prohibited.
Golden Dawn has 18 out of 300 seats in the Greek parliament, where the political configuration is unstable. Polls place it at 11 to 12 per cent of public support, ranking third in popularity. This is undoubtedly a symptom of the Greek economic crisis.
Mr. Muiznieks (an American-born Latvian) makes a good case that some members and supporters of Golden Dawn – even MPs – are actively mistreating immigrants and Roma. Prosecution on charges of assault, hate crimes and homicide should, however, be an adequate response. Forcing a political movement underground would make it all the more dangerous.
In Canada, federal political parties can be "deregistered" if they offer no candidates in a general election or fail to file certain forms. But we have no moral or ideological criteria for party status.
When West Germany was being set up after the Second World War, the constitution gave authority for the prohibition of anti-democratic parties. It was reasonable then to fear a re-emergence of Nazism or a Soviet Communist takeover launched from East Germany. This section remains, now that Germany has been reunified.
The banning of political parties ought to remain a very rare exception. Criminal Golden Dawn activists should be strenuously punished – not converted into a subterranean militia.