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2013-01-20 07:20:23
Some 3,000 people have taken part in a demonstration in the Greek capital
Athens to protest against the rise of the neo-fascist party Golden Dawn.
The protest, which brought together Greeks and immigrants, was part of a day of
anti-racism events.
Golden Dawn, exploiting public anger over the financial crisis, won 18 seats in
parliament last June.
One of the most right-wing parties in Europe, it is accused of anti-immigrant
attacks, but denies violent activity.
The coffin of a Pakistani immigrant murdered by suspected right-wing extremists
was also put on display.
Shehzad Luqman, 27, was stabbed to death by two men who had been riding a
motorcycle as he rode his bicycle to work in the Athens neighbourhood of
Petralona in the early hours of Wednesday.
More than 80% of immigrants to the European Union enter via Greece.
Fear of the outsider
This was a day designed to show the other side of Greece, drowning out the
racism of the minority, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens.
Golden Dawn members in Athens, 1 August 2012 Golden Dawn made headlines after
winning seats in parliament this summer
Greek hospitality is well-known - but the financial crisis is changing the
nation with elements lurching to the right and fearing both the future and the
outsider, adds our correspondent.
Away from Athens, campaigners used a more artistic means of spreading the word:
a children's play with a social message was staged, telling the story of a
Greek family that meets Iranians and a Pakistani on holiday, and of initial
fears subsiding as the group learns to live together.
The play's director, Vassilis Koukalani, told the BBC: "The play is about
prejudice, about racism, about xenophobia and it shows how we can overcome
these things with common sense, with a sense of humour, with a sense of justice
above all."