Lena Verde — 30/09/2026, No. 1741

Teachers and their unions are responding strongly to the attempt by Kasidiaris and other fascists to gain a foothold in schools. What has been reported in recent days clearly shows that the release from prison of the Nazi criminal has encouraged not only him, but also the remnants of Golden Dawn to reappear, with schools as one of their first targets. However, every fascist attack is met with resistance from the teachers’ movement.

The Rethymno Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (ELME) reacted immediately to an incident of fascist violence involving a student at a school in the city. As it stated in its announcement:

“The student in question, who was walking around the school grounds wearing a T-shirt of Golden Dawn — an organisation that has also been legally recognised as criminal — first threatened students from the neighbouring school, which shares the same courtyard, for no reason, saying: ‘I’ll find you outside and break your bones.’ He then began, together with some of his classmates, throwing bottles at the other students, hitting one of them on the head.”

“As the Board of the Rethymno ELME and as teachers, we make the following clear: No act of violence against our students will be tolerated,” the announcement continued.

“No attempt to bring fascism back, in any form, will be tolerated. Those who guide underage students and poison their minds with fascist ideas are committing a crime on many levels. No attempt to downplay or cover up this or any similar incident will be tolerated, even if it is supposedly well-intentioned. There is no room for a ‘relaxed’ response to such issues.”

Similar reactions followed fascist attacks in Chania and Heraklion. In Chania, a protest by teachers and university students outside the Kounoupidiana secondary school was targeted. According to the complaint, a group of students who were hiding nearby began throwing bottles at the crowd, putting people at risk of injury, while shouting: “Unemployed fucking communists.”

Against hatred

The Heraklion ELME reported two incidents. It stated:

“Incident 1: Two students at a school in Heraklion, referring to Golden Dawn, spoke with intense hatred toward a female classmate, threatening and intimidating her with racist and xenophobic comments during a discussion about the anniversary of the murder of P. Fyssas.

Incident 2: A group of underage students attempted to attack the ‘ANAIRESEIS’ Festival last Saturday, 19 September, shouting slogans in support of Golden Dawn and demanding that the Palestinian flag be removed from the festival grounds.

We should add to these the recent incident of fascist violence in Rethymno, involving a student attacking fellow students, as well as the increasing references inside schools to Golden Dawn — the Nazi organisation convicted as a criminal organisation — following the recent release from prison of its leader, I. Kasidiaris.

As the Heraklion ELME, we condemn these incidents in the strongest and most categorical terms and declare that no act of fascist violence against our students will be tolerated. As teachers, we will not allow any attempt to bring fascism back in any form.”

The Association of Primary School Teachers of Western Attica “K. Varnalis” also reacted angrily to Kasidiaris’ financial “donation” to the 1st Primary School of Megara, supposedly intended to help cover the school’s needs.

“FASCISTS OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS!” the Association stated.

“The municipality and the Ministry of Education must take responsibility NOW for repairing the damage caused by the lack of maintenance of the roof of the 1st Primary School of Megara!

We throw into the rubbish these ‘blood-stained’ sponsorships — bait supposedly offered to repair the roof — from the Nazi criminal I. Kasidiaris, who has been convicted of leading a criminal organisation.

The supposed ‘offer’ to the 1st Primary School of Megara is no offer at all. It is cheap poison aimed at poisoning us and our students. It asks us to accept that fascism can also have a human face. But we know very well that it never has, anywhere. And it never will.

That is why we reject every sponsorship stained with the blood of those who are on the front line of the struggle for wages, a decent life and education for everyone; of migrants, refugees and people persecuted by wars. Because these are the people fascists turn against.”