Three Models of Democratic Self-Defence: The Greek Case

The paper examines the Greek state’s response to the far-right party Golden Dawn in light of three theoretical models of democratic self-defense: militant, procedural and social. It argues that Golden Dawn’s violent, racist and anti-parliamentary politics has exposed Greek democracy’s vulnerability and challenged its ability to tackle antidemocratic parties. Since the country lacks a militant democratic constitution that would allow party bans, extremist political actors are controlled through criminal law. Yet, the use of this procedural response to Golden Dawn has had serious limitations. In addition to illuminating these limitations, the paper discusses an alternative, social, approach to democratic self-defense, which relates inclusive social policies to the goal of counteracting extremist parties. Considering that Golden Dawn rose amidst a momentous financial and social crisis, the Greek case offers a good reason for supporting the social model of democratic self-defense.