The economic crisis in Greece has led to the rise of Golden Dawn, a far-right political movement, which says and does pretty much everything one would expect from that description.

Their earlier denials of being fascists or Nazi sympathisers were spectacularly blown apart by the revelation last week of thousands of pictures of members, some armed, giving the Nazi salute, and brandishing SS banners.

“What this confirms, without a shadow of doubt, is that Golden Dawn is not only a Nazi group but a criminal organisation that operated as a paramilitary structure,” said Dimitris Psarras, the country’s leading authority on the party.

“We are literally talking about thousands of pictures,” he told the Guardian. “And many are highly incriminating, portraying well known members receiving armed training in summer camps.”

The British National Party’s Nick Griffin has defended the group, who he called his ‘patriot comrades.’

The seriousness of this kind of thing should not be underestimated in a country with a history of dictatorship, and a continent where Nazism is a living memory for many.

They have also set up an Australian chapter, in Melbourne.