Announcement of Coordinating body of immigrants communities and organizations

Policy Response DateNovember 20, 2012 Country: Greece General Type: Racist violence, Racist discourse, Hate crime Racism and discrimination phenomena: Extremism - organised Racist Violence, Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Islamophobia, Afrophobia, Arabophobia, Religious intolerance, Xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants, Refugees, Muslims, Asylum seekers, Africans/black people Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Anti-racism, Daily life

Representatives of immigrants communities announced the creation of a coordinating body that can represent and take action on behalf of all participating communities. This body will represent 20 immigrants communities and 3 African immigrant organizations. 

Immigrants communities aim, with this initiative, at giving a common representation to immigrants and assisting their defense against major problems, such as racist violence [1].

Saeed Aldogan, representative of Kurdish immigrants, expressed the intention to recourse to domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights to defend victims of racist violence. He said on the subject of racist violence against immigrants: "To date, we have collected hundreds of complaints of attacks against immigrants. The police have not registered most of them. If our main problem before was to obtain documents and legal status, the most important thing for us now is to survive, as we do not know from which corner they will attack us, arrest and send us to a detention centre for immigrants" [2].

Sources:

  1. in.gr, 20.11.2012, Συντονιστικό όργανο για την προστασία των δικαιωμάτων τους δημιουργούν μετανάστες (Immigrants create Coordinating body for the protection of their rights), http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231222899, Accessed on 23.11.2012.
  2. GRReporter, 20.11.2012, Immigrants will sue Greece for attacks by Golden Dawn, http://www.grreporter.info/en/immigrants_will_sue_greece_attacks_golden_dawn/8175, Accessed on 23.11.2012.