Greek neo-Nazis protested against a gay-themed religious play in Athens on Thursday (11 October).

Police detained 30 people during the violent protest by extreme right-wing group Golden Dawn, which aimed to stop the premiere of Corpus Christi, which features Jesus as a gay man.

In addition to blocking entry to the venue, the group also reportedly beat their opposition while the police had their backs turned.

South African Independent reported Golden Dawn had sent several members, including some of its members of parliament, to block the doors and to turn away the audience.

‘This is a blasphemous play,’ lawmaker Ilias Penagiotaros said, before unleashing a foul-mouthed tirade against Albanians and gay people.

Speaking to Mega channel, left-wing MP Petros Tatsopoulos described it as a ‘night of terror’.

‘The Golden Dawn members twisted the doors so the actors could not get out, and to keep us from getting in,’ he said.

Written by American playwright Terrence McNally in 1998, Corpus Christi has always been controversial because of its depiction of Jesus Christ and the Apostles as gay men in Texas.

Manolis V, a journalist, said on Twitter he was attacked by protestors while the police did nothing.

‘The police is next to us. I shout “They’re beating me, aren’t you going to do something”,’ he said.

‘I move away so I can look on from distance. A well-known Golden Dawn MP follows me. He punches me twice in the face and knocks me to the ground. While on the ground, I lose my glasses. The Golden Dawn MP kicks me. The police are just two steps away but turn their back.’

The Guardian’s Yiannis Baboulias noted as with many other European nations who have struggled to keep a stable economy, there has been a rise in neo-Nazi activity.

‘Greece is being held hostage by a police force that increasingly appears beyond state control, and which has long forsaken its role of protecting citizens from the thugs they now side with, and by a government which relishes the distraction the Golden Dawn provides from the cuts and tax hikes,’ he said.

Golden Dawn, however, says they are a political party for patriotic Greeks.