After attacks at professional lyceums, Greek Police probes seven extreme right groups in Thessaloniki

By Vasilis Lambropoulos

In the aftermath of last week's shocking attacks by members of extreme-right and fascist organisations at Thessaloniki professional lyceums (EPAL), Greek Police is putting together the pieces of the puzzle of their expansive activity in Greece's second largest city and their links to other far right groups throughout Greece and abroad.

The "Holy Battalion" (which stands for Greek racial superiority), The "Sacred Band", which is active throughout Northern Greece, the "Autonomous Nationalists of Thessaloniki (that identifies ideologically with the Athens organisation "Combat 18", which is responsible for 15 arson attacks in the capital), and "Vanguard Hellas", which has extreme right members linked to the now defunct "Ideopolis Circle", which ceased activity in 2018, are the top groups operating in the northern port city.

There is a total of seven extreme-right groups that have been identified in Greek Police probes - revealed in the Sunday edition of To Vima - and that are active in Thessaloniki, with a total of about 5,000 members or supporters, that combined constitute a small army.

A large segment of this "fascist" army is directly or indirectly linked to the outburst of violent attacks in the professional lyceum (EPAL) in the Stavroupolis area of Thessaloniki, in Evosmos, and to a lesser extent in Sykeona, Neapolis, and elsewhere - that have rocked Greek Police and political parties.

Educator acting as a "guide"

As To Vima reported, Greek Police has reliable information that at one of these EPALs, the main role in guiding extreme-right students was played by a teacher with similar views who has an important position in the lyceum.

He assisted students who are Nazi...