On Aug. 25, 2012, the Greek ultran-nationalist party Golden Dawn rallied at Thermopylae, congregating around a statue of King Leonidas of Sparta, whose warriors stood up to the enormous invading army of the Persian King of Kings Xerxes in the year 480 B.C. According to recent polls, Golden Dawn is now the third most popular political part in Greece, drawing its strength from a virulently anti-immigrant platform.
Even as it appropriates the Greek past for propaganda purposes, the far-right party has gained in popularity while espousing virulent anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric.
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