How Greece’s democracy withstood a fascist threat by Yannis Palaiologos

 Yannis Palaiologos is the European Union correspondent for the Kathimerini newspaper in Athens. He is the author of “The 13th Labour of Hercules: Inside the Greek Crisis.”

It was a rare moment of unalloyed collective joy, in a year that has offered precious little of it: On Wednesday, the Athens Court of Appeals found the leadership of Golden Dawn, a racist group with Nazi roots that became Greece’s third-largest party in 2015, guilty of being the ringleaders of a criminal organization. A crowd of thousands outside erupted in celebration. Dozens of the organization’s top thugs were found guilty of multiple charges, including murder and attempted murder.

For Greece, it was a fitting, happy ending to a nightmarish decade, but the outcome wasn’t assured. It’s hard to overestimate the danger of flirting with such extremists — and the ease with which it can lead to consequences beyond anyone’s control.

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