Earlier we reported that a Greek journalist (@manolis on Twitter) tweeted his experience of getting beaten up by Golden Dawn members during an incident in Athens today.

We must warn you before going on that there's a lot of crude language throughout this post, but it is what it is, and it reflects what's happening in Greece right now.

The website Radio Bubble translated his tweets:

"At the entrance of the theatre, there were Golden Dawn and priests tearing down the show posters and stepping on them. I took out my mobile to take pictures for the blog. 5 Golden Dawners and a cop surrounded me. They ask 'Are you a journalist?' I say "I write for lifo", hoping to escape a beating. Quite the opposite. They pull me aside, call me 'faggot' and 'queer', pull my beard, spit in my face, hit me in the stomach. Cops nearby. I shout "They're beating me, do something?" Reply : I've nothing, move along please. The cop's wearing 3 stars. They put a lit cigarette in my pocket. A woman standing near warns me, in front of the cop. He pretends he hasn't heard. I start to get scared, move away from the entrance. They shout after me 'Go away, you dirty faggot, go suck someone's cock!' I turn back to observe. A known Golden Dawn MP follows me, punches me twice in the face, knocks me down. Downed, I lose my glasses. The Golden Dawn MP kicks me. The police are exactly 2 steps away. Their backs are turned. Repeatedly, I shout to the cop "THEY"RE PUNCHING ME, DO SOMETHING!" Back still turned, he walks away. The rest of them shouting at me next to the police officer "Cry, you pussy, queen, little girl" We pass dozens of cops hanging out. I tell them I was beaten at theatre entrance. They ignore me. One blows me a sarcastic kiss."

So what's the full story?

The blog KeepTalkingGreece (via Evan Fleischer) reports that the Golden Dawn (along with some conservative religious leaders) were protesting a showing of the play Corpus Christi, which depicts Jesus and the Apostles as gay.

After failing to get a court to halt the play, they tried to storm the theater unsuccessfully.

But in their protests, they caused a major ruckus, and in addition to the aforementioned beating, one of protesters (a Golden Dawn member of parliament) managed to get physically un-detain someone from the cops. There's video of that happening right here.

If all that isn't enough to freak you out about the rise of the Golden Dawn, watch this video of a guy in a white shirt shouting during the protest, and that read the translation below.

It turns out that guy is Golden Dawn MP Ilias Panagiotaros, who you might have seen in this picture, which we use sometimes when we write about the Golden Dawn:

Big time Greek twitterer and all around man-to-know-in-Athens Stratos Safioleas posted a translation of his shouting, and before you read any further, we must warn you it is incredibly vile stuff:

You little cunt, wrap it up.

Did you get that?

Wrap it up you little faggots.

You “sticking-it-in-the-ass”, fuckers, actors my ass.

Yes, just keep staring at me you little hooker.

Your time is up.

Film, go ahead film [me]

[Something I don’t understand ending] you are fucked by the Pakistanis.

You fucking Albanian assholes, eh, you fucking Albanian assholes.”

Reminder: This is a member of parliament we're talking about.

Reminder II: Since the last election, the standing of the Golden Dawn has only grown in polls.

Stratos added in his translation: "In times like this the importance of European solidarity is paramount. If you are a friend of Greece, your help is needed. Now, not later."