Immigration and Political Opportunities for Right-Wing Extremism: The Case of Golden Dawn in Greece

Abstract:This essay systematically explores the role the immigration issue played in the electoral and overall political power structure of right-wing extremism in Greece as expressed by Golden Dawn. It employs a political-opportunity structure along with a discursive-opportunity structure approach in several instances, with special reference to the so-called refugee crisis during 2015–16. It argues that there is no simple and straightforward connection between immigration and an increase of extremism, and that even sudden and massive immigration flows is not a sufficient condition. Instead, to understand the rise in extremism, long-term, medium-term, and short-term variables must all be considered.