An alarming story from Associated Press about the rise of the far right in Greece with black-shirted, bat-wielding youths chasing down dark-skinned immigrants through the streets of Athens.
"Greece, however, may be particularly worrisome because of the intersection of extreme economic distress and rampant illegal immigration, which can create fertile ground for the rise of rightist movements. Immigrant scapegoating has been rife here as unemployment balloons amid economic catastrophe. Even as Greece founders under mountains of debt, illegal immigrants have been streaming into the country across the Turkish border – turning Greece into the migrant world's gateway to Europe. Last year, Greece accounted for 90 percent of the bloc's detected illegal border crossings, compared to 75 percent in 2009."
It's a point picked up by economist Paul Krugman who sums it up neatly: "Got that 30s feeling, all the way."
One can only hope that the Europeans have learned from history, and that they will never repeat it.
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