Armed forces chief hits back at Golden Dawn
The head of Greece’s armed forces on Friday spoke out against Golden Dawn after its MPs blasted the military for helping to build so-called hot spots for refugees.
“The men and women of our country’s armed forces are proud of the mission they have been assigned by the Greek people,” said the chief of the National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis.
“And, if needed, they will do their duty with the same decisiveness and selflessness their forefathers displayed when they fought the fascist and Nazi invaders, earning international respect and recognition.”
Apostolakis added that any attempt to “undermine” the military’s mission was a “direct strike” at the country’s democratic system.
His comments came in the wake of a verbal assault from Golden Dawn MPs Ilias Kasidiaris and Christos Pappas on Defense Minister Panos Kammenos and armed forces’ chiefs during a parliamentary hearing on the refugee crisis earlier this week.
Kasidiaris labeled Kammenos a “traitor” during his intervention. He was ejected from the hearing along with Pappas and is now under investigation for filming the session, which took place behind closed doors for national security reasons.
