“These hands may sometimes salute like this, but they are clean hands. They are not dirty, they haven’t stolen.” When the Leader of Golden Dawn said these words while making a fascist salute, everyone focused on the blatant admission of his fascist identity. Few pointed out that the idea of “even fascists or neo-Nazis, but nonetheless clean and honest” is a central theme of Golden Dawn’s communication.

Cleanliness is a pivotal point in the perception of the Nazi phenomenon in general, and Greek neo-Nazism in particular; it runs through every aspect of its discourse and action. This book examines: the function of Golden Dawn as a “national disinfectant,” tracing its explosive rise up until the arrests of its leader and members; the universal expansion of neo-Nazism that seeks to leave no corner of public life unchecked and “suspect unclean.”

It analyzes the dangerous “infectious diseases” in education, art, and intellectual circles; the goals of purging and the violent ritual of the assault units; the osmosis of neo-Nazis with the police; the expansion into public spaces with Mafia-like practices. In short, it outlines the pervasive fascism of the social body and the adoption of the far-right agenda by members of the political personnel.