As we await the verdict in the Golden Dawn trial and as the far-Right disguised as ‘angry citizens’ torment and hunt down traumatized and abandoned refugees on Lesvos, the launch of the new research and educational foundation Signal could not be more opportune. The Greek anti-fascist and anti-racist movement has, in my view, been fearless in its efforts to bring Golden Dawn to trial – as I witnessed first-hand as an international observer at the Golden Dawn trial. Signal seeks to build on such solid foundations, but with its specific focus on qualitative research, it promises to open us out to new dimensions.
This is a timely intervention, not just for Greek civil society, but also for the international anti-fascist effort. The back cloth for its formation is not just the global pandemic and international economic and environmental insecurity, but the emergence of transformative movements like Black Lives Matter that has called for the dismantling of the structural racism upon which the far Right feeds. We face a far-right threat that is violent, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, anti-democratic and deeply corrosive of all the human values that give meaning to life. It manifests itself at our borders, on our streets, in our electoral chambers and in our police forces, which too often demonstrate patterns of collusion with far-right vigilantism.
Signal is well-placed to challenge fascism which is not just an ideology or a set of ideas but an attitude to human life, and human dignity. It sets out on its mission from a very strong place and with committed people, guided by anti-racist and humanist principles, at the helm.