Greek journalist of Albanian origin, Antilian Kotzai, has faced hundreds of offensive and racist comments on social media after publishing an article warning of the return of far-right rhetoric and Golden Dawn ideology in Greece.
As Top Channel correspondent Aleksandër Marku reports, it all started with a comment by Kotzai in the Greek newspaper Documento, titled “Beware, the ideology of Golden Dawn is here.”
In his article, the journalist referred to the debate of recent days in Athens and the calls of people with far-right ideas for the “liberation” of the Agios Panteleimonas neighborhood and Athens from those they describe as “occupiers.”
Kotzai wrote that the rhetoric used brings back memories of attacks and pogroms against immigrants in Athens during the years when Golden Dawn was at the height of its activity.
After publishing the article on Facebook, the journalist says he was faced with hundreds of racist comments, from real profiles and accounts that he considers part of a coordinated attack.
“Go back to Albania if you don’t like it” and “you are a guest in this country and you shouldn’t speak” were some of the messages that, according to him, were addressed to him publicly.
Kotzai says he also received threats of legal action after writing that pogroms against immigrants have nothing to do with democracy.
The journalist, who is a Greek citizen and has been active for years on issues of integration and the rights of citizens of immigrant origin, reacted by emphasizing that he has no intention of remaining silent.
“Whether the fascists like it or not, I, like hundreds of thousands of immigrant children, are Greek citizens,” he wrote, adding that the duty of journalists is to comment on any social phenomenon that threatens democracy and peaceful coexistence.
The attack on him has also brought reactions of solidarity from left-wing journalists and politicians of the same spectrum who called it an “organized racist attack.” They say Kotzai was targeted after speaking out publicly against racism and the ideology of Golden Dawn.
According to them, the fact that some of the commentators asked a Greek citizen to “return to Albania” solely because of his origin confirms precisely the concern that Kotzai had raised in his article.
The debate comes at a time when the activity of far-right circles is being discussed again in Greece. In his article, Kotzai also recalls that Ilias Kasidiaris, former leader of Golden Dawn, found guilty in 2020 of leading a criminal organization, has stated that he intends to find a way to be “present” in the upcoming elections.
For Kotzai, the conclusion after the attack he received on social media remains the same as the title of the article that started the entire debate:
“The ideology of Golden Dawn is here and requires democratic vigilance.”
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