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Police and racist violence are connected

26 March 2012 / 17:03:57  GRReporter
5073 reads

Do you think there is a connection between the increasing number of attacks and the strengthening of right-wing formations, such as "Golden Dawn," for example? According to some polls, it would be able to enter the next Parliament.

As I said, we had no preliminary data. We are trying to fill this particular gap of state authorities. Therefore, I cannot say that there is a formal increase.

However, we receive information from immigrant communities about attacks in other areas not covered by the Network. This makes us believe that these cases are increasing. We should spread in order to be able to record them. This is our call to the state.

As for the extreme right- wing organizations, I think the fact that the attackers operate in groups is indicative. However, this does not mean that we know whether they belong to a particular organization. In any case, the way they act indicates the presence of organized activity. People in black clothes and helmets on their heads are "patrolling" in the streets, using hand-made items for the attacks. Moreover, in most cases, the attacks are not spontaneous. Usually, there is a woman asking the victim where she or he is from and then, the men come. This description, which is quite common in the cases recorded by us, suggests the existence of an organized course of action.

What is your opinion on the change in the policy of the Ministry for Citizens' Protection in relation to immigrants?

The Greek National Committee for Human Rights issued a message expressing its concern about the announced establishment of a temporary detention centre for illegal immigrants in Naplio near Kozani and mostly, about the way it was done. Clearly, the state is obliged to ensure the safety of all who live in the country. This means it is obliged to tackle crime where it exists.

But we failed to learn anything more about the centre. We would like to know under what conditions they will resolve the matter within the limited timeframe set. It is also of our concern that among all those people targeted by these measures, there are people, who need protection. These are asylum seekers, refugees, victims of human trafficking and drug addicts. The Greek state is obliged to take care of these people.

We have expressed our willingness to support state authorities with advice, if the measures are compatible with human rights. I remind you that Greece has already been convicted of the conditions in immigrant centres in the Evros region. Therefore, we are concerned because these measures are announced in a very general way. Therefore, we would like to have more information about these procedures.

Tags: SocietyImmigrantsRacist violenceGroup attacksPolice violence
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