Greece - 2012
Is the judiciary reported to be adequately and effectively combating racist violence/hate crime?
- Code:
- RED28
- Key Area:
- Anti-racist Crime Legislation & Implementation
- Strand(s):
- Racism
| Short Answer |
No. |
| Qualitative Info |
ECRI in its April 2009 4th cycle report on Greece regreted that Law 927/1979[1] continues to be rarely applied although information indicates cases of incitement to racial hatred in Greece.[1] [1] ECRI Report on Greece, fourth monitoring cycle, September 2009. http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/ecri/Country-by-country/Greece/GRC-CbC-IV-2009-031-ENG.pdf The law has been never applied by Greek courts after an ex officio prosecution. Greek judges apply the anti-racist legilation, in very few court cases brought to justice after petition by human rights NGOs (mainly the Greek Helsinki Monitor, and alos the group of lawyers to the support of migrants and refugees, KIS, antinazi initiative): In an anti-semitic hate speech case (the Plevris case), which received much public attention, his acquittal was based on the court judgement, validated by the Supreme Court, that racial origin was not the sole ground for hate speech through an anti-Semitic book.The court decision could be easily recorded as an incident of anti-Semitic hate speech: “the defendant does not revile the Jews solely because of their racial and ethnic origin, but mainly because of their aspirations to world power, the methods they use to achieve these aims, and their conspiratorial activities.” [1] After the acquittal the Public prosecutor pressed charges against members of Antinazi Initiative for "dissemination of false news that may provoke unrest to citizens" after they stated that two specific public prosecutors and one judge defended K. Plevris by expressing unprecedented anti-Semitic and pro-nazi positions [1] Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greek Supreme Court dismisses appeal in cassation against neo-Nazi Plevris’ acquittal!, Press Release (20.4.2010) http://cm.greekhelsinki.gr/index.php?sec=194&cid=3639 Source: HLHR-KEMO/i-RED RAXEN Thematic Study: Racist and related hate crimes in the EU - Greece
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| Groups affected/interested | Migrants, Refugees, Roma & Travelers, Muslims, Ethnic minorities, Religious minorities, Linguistic minorities, Majority, Asylum seekers, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, Persons with disability, Africans/black people, National minorities |
| Type (R/D) | Extremism - organised Racist Violence, Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Anti-semitism, Islamophobia, Afrophobia, Arabophobia, Anti-roma/zinghanophobia, Religious intolerance, Inter-ethnic, Intra-ethnic, Nationalism, Homophobia, On grounds of disability, On grounds of other belief, Anti-roma/ romaphobia, Xenophobia |
| Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas | Policing - law enforcement, Anti-discrimination, Anti-racism |
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| Situation(s) |
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