Racist violence

The implementation of the toxic EU-Turkey deal in the past four years has resulted in endless misery for thousands of asylum-seekers and migrants trapped in the overcrowded and unsafe hotspots of the Eastern Aegean islands.  It has also boosted xenophobic and racist reactions in local societies that were initially welcoming to the plight of refugees.

These reactions have ranged from a large scale racist pogrom against Afghan asylum-seekers protesting for their prolonged stay on Lesvos in 2018 to a spate of attacks against asylum-seekers, human rights workers and journalists and the arson of a building belonging to an NGO in March 2020. Hate and xenophobic speech used by public officials fuels these incidents.

The plans of authorities to establish new facilities in the form of closed controlled centres for new arrivals were faced with strong protests by the local population on the islands of Lesvos and Chios in February 2020 and were marred by police violence.

In early October, a Court in Athens ruled unanimously that neo-nazi party Golden Dawn was set up and operated as a criminal organization and found guilty the vast majority of those accused for a number of criminal offences. The landmark decision shielded in practice the rule of law in Greece.

Refugee Support Aegean monitors and documents such incidents and is a member of the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN).