Hrisi Avgi (Greek:Χρυσή Αυγή English:Golden Dawn) is a Greek nationalist party, espousing an anti-semitic, anti-capitalist and anti-immigrant philosophy based partially on laws of ancient Spartan society. Hrisi Avgi is also the name of a newspaper and a magazine published by that party.
The party is often classified as a neo-Nazi party, though it claims the roots of its doctrine predate the German Nazi Party. The leader of the party is Nikolaos Michaloliakos. The party's symbol is a red flag bearing a black meander pattern with white trim. Other symbols adopted by Hrisi Avgi members were the national emblem of Greece, the labrys and the Celtic cross.
Unlike the Hellenic Front, the Popular Orthodox Rally, and other far-right, traditionalist, and religious conservative movements, Hrisi Avgi openly espouses Nazi-like symbols and ideology, as well as putsch-style methods. The party also advocates much more radical policies in relation to immigration, irridenta and border issues.
The party, which never reached as high as 1% of the vote in a national election, ceased political operation in 2005, and anti-fascists say it was absorbed by the similarly small Patriotic Alliance. The latter ceased operations after Michaloliakos withdrew support, and in March 2007, Hrisi Avgi held its sixth congress, where it announced the resumption of their political activism.

History
According to Hrisi Avgi leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos, the party paused its own autonomous political activities after December 1, 2005, due to clashes with anti-fascists.

2005-2007
Hrisi Avgi claimed to have local organisations in 32 Greek cities, as well as in Cyprus.

Activities
Hrisi Avgi's Youth Front has organised activities such as distributing fliers with racist messages in Athens schools and organising white power concerts. The Youth Front also publishes the white nationalist magazine Resistance Hellas-Antepithesi, which promotes neo-Nazi ideas to young people through music and sports topics. The magazine is a sister publication of the United States-based National Alliance's Resistance magazine. This collaboration between Greek nationalists and American racialists began in 2001, after National Alliance founder William Luther Pierce visited Thessaloniki, Greece. Pierce's succesor, Erich Gliebe, ratified the collaboration after Pierce's death.

Youth Front
Hrisi Avgi described itself as a "Popular Nationalist Movement" and "uncompromising Nationalists."

Violence by and against Hrisi Avgi
In 2000, Hrisi Avgi members formed the hooligan firm Galazia Stratia (Greek for "Blue Army"), which has described itself as a "fan club of the Greek national teams." It has been reported that following Hrisi Avgi's official disbandment in 2005, many former party members have put most of their energy into promoting Galazia Stratia.

Football hooliganism
Antonios Androutsopoulos (better known as Periandros), a prominent member of Hrisi Avgi, was on the run from 1998 to September 14, 2005 after being accused of the June 16, 1998 attempted murder of three left-wing students — including Dimitris Kousouris, who was heavily injured.

The Periandros case
In a 1998 interview with the newspaper Eleftherotypia, Georgios Romaios (the minister of public order at the time) alleged the existence of "fascist elements in the Greek police", and vowed to suppress them.

Hrisi Avgi had very good relations and contacts with officers of the force, on and off duty, as well as with common policemen.
The police provided the group with batons and radio communications equipment during mass demonstrations, mainly during celebrations of the Athens Polytechnic uprising and during rallies by left-wing and anarchist groups, in order to provoke riots.
The connections of the group with the force, as well as connections with Periandros, largely delayed his arrest.
The brother of "Periandros", also a member of Hrisi Avgi, was a security escort of an unnamed New Democracy MP.
Most Hrisi Avgi members were illegally carrying weapons. See also