A group of Greek fascists, members of the neo-fascist organization Hrisi Avgi (Golden Dawn), deliberately provoked inter-ethnic incidents in the village of Vrbeni (Xino Nero), near the town Lerin (Florina), in Aegean Macedonia.
The situation nearly went beyond control, but spirits calmed down after the mediation of the more cold blooded ones. The members of the Golden Dawn arrived at the village in a convoy of cars, holding Greek flags and shouting, and then headed to the central square of the village. The tensions culminated when member of Vinozhito (Rainbow) who resides in the village demanded that they should leave.
Radical rights and villagers exchanged fists and swears despite the efforts of the very few police men to stop the incident. The situation nearly went beyond control when a villager took the Greek flag from the hands of a Golden Dawn member. But due to the mediation of more moderates, the flag was returned and the members of the Golden Dawn left the village. Earlier the radical rights had put the Greek flag on the municipality building and had choired the national anthem of Greece.
Before coming to the village of Vrbeni, the Golden Dawn members earlier were attending the annual celebrations for the victory of the monarcho-fascists against the communist rebels in mountain Vitsi during the war of 1948. The following poster was used to call the participants of this event:
The translation of this Greek text is:
The same poster, together with several others, was printed in vast numbers and distributed in many populated places, especially in Aegean Macedonia.
Despite the fact that that the members of the Golden Dawn had decided to move towards Vrbeni while they were in Vitsi for the annual celebration of radical right organizations, the police didn't take the appropriate measures for securing the event.
The monument at the summit of Vitsi was honored by members of the Greek fascistic party LAOS and a municipality administration member, representing the mayor of Thessaloniki.
The situation nearly went beyond control, but spirits calmed down after the mediation of the more cold blooded ones. The members of the Golden Dawn arrived at the village in a convoy of cars, holding Greek flags and shouting, and then headed to the central square of the village. The tensions culminated when member of Vinozhito (Rainbow) who resides in the village demanded that they should leave.
Radical rights and villagers exchanged fists and swears despite the efforts of the very few police men to stop the incident. The situation nearly went beyond control when a villager took the Greek flag from the hands of a Golden Dawn member. But due to the mediation of more moderates, the flag was returned and the members of the Golden Dawn left the village. Earlier the radical rights had put the Greek flag on the municipality building and had choired the national anthem of Greece.
Before coming to the village of Vrbeni, the Golden Dawn members earlier were attending the annual celebrations for the victory of the monarcho-fascists against the communist rebels in mountain Vitsi during the war of 1948. The following poster was used to call the participants of this event:
The translation of this Greek text is:
The only solution for [Greek] Macedonia is for it to border with Serbia
The same poster, together with several others, was printed in vast numbers and distributed in many populated places, especially in Aegean Macedonia.
Despite the fact that that the members of the Golden Dawn had decided to move towards Vrbeni while they were in Vitsi for the annual celebration of radical right organizations, the police didn't take the appropriate measures for securing the event.
The monument at the summit of Vitsi was honored by members of the Greek fascistic party LAOS and a municipality administration member, representing the mayor of Thessaloniki.
