The deliberate and hypocritical nature of Evangelos Venizelos’ sudden “initiative” in general against “Chrysi Avgi” (“Golden Dawn”) and concretely for the expulsion of Eleni Zaroulia from the Council of Europe, is also proved by the stance of the PASOK party in the Greek parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe, when the Antinazi Initiative had asked for the expulsion of nazi El. Zaroulia from it, in an open letter to the whole delegation.

The letter was replied a month ago by the Chairwoman of the delegation, D. Bakoyanni. We today publish this reply that couldn’t have been in conflict with the common position of all parliamentary parties for the matter of El. Zaroulia, as neither PASOK nor any other party has ever sent a reply of its own, and more at that, none of those parties reacted in any way to the provocative appointment of a nazi with the task of safeguarding the human rights in Europe! The non-differentiation of PASOK as to this issue proves the hypocrisy of Ev. Venizelos’ current, late antinazi campaign and at the same time explains it. Because this provocation by the Greek political system has caused indignation in European and international level, and so amongst other reactions, the Commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe, Nils Muiznieks, arranged a visit to our country so as to investigate how and why has the Greek delegation legitimized the representative of “Chr. Avgi” to enter the Council of Europe. Then Ev. Venizelos, after years of sleep has set off his “initiative” against “the racist, xenophobic, neonazi social violence” and against “Chr. Avgi”.
In his interview presenting his “initiative”, Ev. Venizelos hypocritically revealed his surprise over those reactions: “We have reached the point of apologizing internationally because an MP of Chrysi Avgi participates in our delegation at the Parliamentary Summit of the European Council and in the Human Rights Committee!” Ev. Venizelos’ “surprise” reveals the international pressure he has received. So, he stated that he would ask from the parliamentary parties and the members of the Greek parliamentary delegation to take the “initiative” in turn so that the “Chrysi Avgi” won’t participate in the delegation for the Council of Europe. After this statement the visit of the Council of Europe Commissioner to Greece has been postponed.

We quote below the all-typical reply of the chairwoman of the Greek delegation that shows that not only herself but also the MPs of the other parliamentary parties have participated in that scandalous action, that is the appointment of a cadre of a murderous gang with the task to safeguard human rights in the European continent.
<< I would like to thank you for your letter concerning the appointment of Ms. Eleni Zaroulia to the Equality and Non-Discrimination Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
I would like to underline that the sensitive issues of racism and anti-Semitism constitute a high priority in my agenda all these years. Moreover, I fully adopt the European values of tolerance and non-discrimination.
According to the Regulations of the Hellenic Parliament, all parliamentary parties must be represented in the PACE and this is why Ms. Zaroulia had to be appointed being a member of the Greek delegation. As the Chairperson of the delegation, I have no legal right to exclude any elected member of the Hellenic Parliament from the PACE team.
Furthermore, all MPs of the delegation are simultaneously members of particular committees, as you well know. Given this fact, Ms. Zaroulia would have to be a member of at least one committee. Considering that all other committees deal with much more sensitive issues (e.g. Political Affairs and Democracy, Legal Affairs, Human Rights, Migration, Culture etc.), it would be much more problematic if the MP in question participated in them. Therefore, we reached the unavoidable conclusion that it is more preferable for her to remain in the Equality and Non-Discrimination Committee.
I do share your concern on the Golden Dawn delegate whose statements are frequently on the fringe of democratic principles. At the same time, I would like to reassure you that the vast majority of the Greek MPs adopt the European principles of equality, tolerance and non-discrimination>>.

So, the deputies of the Greek parliament consider El. Zaroulia’s participation in the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination to be less “problematic”, because this committee deals with “less sensitive issues” than the other ones. But if the other issues are sensitive and it is of course absolutely “problematic” that the nazis deal with them, to let them deal with issues such as Equality and Non-Discrimination, and at that “inevitably”, is not just problematic, this is a joke of international historical level (!!!)

All the rest is just subterfuge that only a bureaucrat of the Greek public sector would use. However, the regulation of the Greek Parliament is passed at the Parliamentary Session, that is, it is voted by all parliamentary parties that may supplement or immediately amend it. So, the regulation of the Parliament cannot be posed as an obstacle for the parliamentary parties to expel a member of a nazi gang from such a wide organ of international significance, collective and representative of the states but to a degree of the peoples, such as the Council of Europe. So long as this is not done, the democratic principles on which the function of the Greek parliament should be based on are violated.

The fact that the “Chr. Avgi” is recognized as a political party by the Greek state and the parliamentary parties is a blatant violation of the Constitution. The provisions of the Constitution compel the state to protect the fundamental human rights for whoever lives in our country with no discrimination as to nationality, race, native language and religious beliefs. The protection of those rights is impossible if the nazi gangs are left free to exercise racist violence. Besides, the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination of the UN, ratified by the Greek state, imposes the ban on nazi organizations.

The Council of Europe must not accept this insult on the democratic rights of the peoples of Europe.

For the above reasons the Antinazi Initiative still calls upon the Council of Europe anew:
- To immediately expel Eleni Zaroulia from the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.
- Not to allow the participation of any parliamentary member with the “Chrysi Avgi” in its Committees.
- To adopt a resolution of political condemnation of the Greek state for not having banned so far the “Chrysi Avgi” and for appointing nazis to the international democratic organs.

Athens, December 12, 2012