Brussels: On 70th anniversary of deportation of Jews from Thessaloniki, Ronald Lauder calls on Greece to act against ‘new Nazis’ Golden Dawn.
World Jewish Congress leaders sent a strong message of solidarity to the Jewish community of Greece as they gathered in Thessaloniki on March 17 2013 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the roundup and deportation of the Jews from this northern Greek city to the Nazi death camps, the European Jewish Press reports. In presence of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Holocaust survivors, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder urged Greece to take decisive action against the growing neo-Nazi movement Golden Dawn which he called “the new Nazis” and “a threat to democracy.”
The World Jewish Congress called on Greece to “consider banning political parties, such as the Golden Dawn movement, which pose a serious danger to liberal democracy”. It also called on the European Union to “ensure that political movements that actively espouse a platform of discrimination of ethnic or religious minorities, in contravention of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, are dealt with in a coordinated manner in all EU member states that law enforcement authorities receive all necessary support for the protection of citizens against such crimes.”
