Rights groups: Racist attacks up in Greece

The United Nations refugee agency and human rights groups voiced strong concern Wednesday at what they said is a spike in racist attacks as social tensions rise in crisis-afflicted Greece. The organizations said a pilot program they launched to monitor such violence has uncovered “extremely troubling” trends, including attacks by black-clad radicals patrolling the streets of Athens with dogs. More than 60 attacks were recorded between October and January, and 12 of the victims were severely injured, representatives of the UNHCR and Greek groups told a press conference. They claimed that Greek authorities show no interest in recording racist attacks, in some of which members of the police have allegedly played a part. “The matter of racist violence is not on the government’s agenda,” said Costis Papaioannou, head of the National Committee for Human Rights. Greek police had no immediate comment. Debt-crippled Greece is due to hold national elections in the next two months amid rising anti-immigration sentiment — with polls showing strong gains for the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group. Greeks have seen their living standards plummet in more than two years of harsh austerity, implemented to secure vital international rescue loans. Unemployment has reached record highs while the economy is fast shrinking. Meanwhile, the country remains Europe’s busiest entry-point for illegal immigrants, who cross the porous border with Turkey in tens of thousands every year. Their arrival in Athens and other major cities has coincided with a surge in crime and inner-city decline. Papaioannou said the financial crisis has exacerbated racist violence. “Since the crisis broke out, Greeks have absolutely become more xenophobic,” Papaioannou said. “The same happened in other recession-hit countries, and (in Greece) it has coincided with the intensification of immigration.” “We have large groups of marginalized people, both Greeks and immigrants,” he said. “And the first group blames the second.” He said one particularly worrying aspect is the large number of attacks by organized groups. A joint statement from the UNHCR in Greece and another 18 rights and migrant groups said racist violence “is spreading at a terrifying pace, and threatens the country’s already damaged social cohesion.” “In the current conditions of financial crisis, recession, fracturing of the social fabric and rapid marginalisation of sections of the population, the phenomenon is threatening to go out of control,” the statement said. The groups urged Greece’s government to create a network that will record cases of racist violence, issue specific guidelines for police to investigate such incidents and ensure that culprits are prosecuted.