Violent extremism in Greece in these last recession years has turned into a widespread social phenomenon.

Greek extremism is not a new crisis concept though; Extremist groups such as the “17th of November” for instance have been present and defining what “Greek terrorism” is for a long time. The main problem that we can observe nowadays however apart from a radical increase of violent extremism incidents, is its explicit and implicit legitimization by the Greek authorities. Since the 2012 national legislative elections, the collapse of Greek bipartisan system and especially the unexpected strengthening of the far-right Golden Dawn and the radical left (SYRIZA) the Greek political architecture and narrative have undergone major changes. In fact, these parties known for their unorthodox methods had been largely marginalized on the Greek political scene up to that date. Nevertheless, since 2012 and their significant presence in the national Parliament, they are treated by other political forces as the official opposition. This particular position attributes popularity and a great deal of legitimacy to their narrative and their methods.