![]() It comes as no surprise then that, among all the aspects of ancient Greece, war is the top choice for tattoos. Though over-emphasized by the media, violence does play an important role in the hooligan self-image. My goals? To discover how these particular football supporters strive to express their identity and perception of heritage and belonging how, through their tattoo choices, they construct their own politics of the past and finally, how the Greek and European far-right iconography mingles with this phenomenon.Įven at first glance, it is apparent that a much-loved tattoo theme is the ancient Greek hoplite. ![]() So for this article I have drawn upon a small sample of photos mined from social media and football supporter websites, informal discussions with active or former organized football supporters, and field observations. There is an ambivalence here that merits attention. Things are just as complicated on the terrace. However, in the highly polarized setting of debt-crisis Greece, where a Neo-Nazi party remains the country’s fourth most popular choice at the ballot box, the decision to ink yourself with a meander (a symbol of the Golden Dawn) or a Spartan image is rarely a simple declaration of fascination with ancient monuments. They are abundant elsewhere, and not solely among active members of the far-right: they are also popular with people who identify loosely with various forms of Greek nationalism, or who are simply fascinated with ancient Greece. Tattoos with ancient Greek imagery are not found exclusively in the football supporters’ world. While these inked amalgams of club symbols and ancient imagery are by no means the norm among supporters, they can still be found among many Greek football firms. Ancient Greece and Rome are inevitably a common point of reference. But they are not themes from every “past” - only that which is accepted by Greece’s official national narrative. Demonizing portrayals aside, football supporter subculture does feature one distinct subgroup of tattoos that are mixed with themes from the past. Of course, not everyone who identifies as a “football hooligan” falls into this villain stereotype, which the media have done a great deal to create. In this world, as in many other Western “bad boy” subcultures, tattooing has been historically identified as a means of demonstrating various collective or individual self-images. Nevertheless, there have also been high-profile cases where members of the Greek Neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn have been active as “top boys” of Greek “football firms” (i.e. Most of the Greek petala (the curved stands of the football stadiums that organized supporters identify as their home) raised anti-fascist banners after the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, a.k.a Killah P, a Greek anti-fascist rapper. Along with these groups have risen fears that, across Europe, the resurgent far-right - polished with new symbols that downplay its origins - is reviving an old habit: recruiting them.Ĭontrary to media scapegoating and what seems to be the trend across Europe lately, the far-right has no monopoly on the Greek “terrace” (i.e., stadium) subculture. Organized football supporters - broadly known as “hooligans” (persons associated with disorderly or violent behavior, primarily as spectators at football events, or in relation to their militant support to football clubs) or “ultras” (fans known for ultra-support of their clubs)-have risen in popularity lately. It was two weeks since Balti had been on the receiving end of McDonald’s anger and the breaks and bruises were still mending. ![]() The skin had healed and absorbed the graffiti. The ink had been ground down over the past fifteen years and the Union Jack wrapped around the king of the Stamford Bridge savannah had lost the defining edges of its red, white and blue grooves. ![]() The lion tattoo was worn and tired, a faded ghost of its original glory.
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