The Athens-based Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) released its report on racially motivated violence in Greece in 2022 on 6 April 2023.
RVRN’s eleventh annual report examines the quantitative and qualitative trends in racist violence in Greece, highlighting that racism and the targeting of human rights defenders erode the safety of victims and sense of justice.
In its report, RVRN recorded 74 incidents of racist violence in Greece through interviews with victims from January to December 2022. In the report, it is noted that 33 of these acts of violence were committed against immigrants, refugees or asylum-seekers because of their national origin, religion, or colour, 38 of these incidents targeted LGBTQI+ individuals as well as human rights defenders due to their connection with the LGTQI+ individuals, in 2 of the incidents, a mosque and a Holocaust memorial were targeted and in 1 incident, it is noted that the target was Greek citizens of Roma origin.
According to the testimonies of the victims, it is noted in the report that the perpetrators of the incidents are civilians, law enforcement officials, public servants, employers in agricultural works and members of racist violence groups and that 14 incidents had been reported to the police and that criminal procedures were initiated for 5 incidents.
In the report, it was noted that there is racism targeting refugees, immigrants and LGBTQI+ individuals in the context of living their daily lives in Greece, according to the findings of RVRN for 2022, and that there have been organised racist violence targeting the aforementioned groups although to a limited extent and it is further indicated that human rights defenders operating at the borders are especially targeted.
Emphasising in its report that the State must take immediate action to address secondary victimisation and violence in general so that victims and targeted communities can have more trust in the authorities, RVRN notes that the authorities should prioritise the creation of an effective support and protection system for victims of racist violence.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) met with RVRN at the beginning of 2022 and provided information about discrimination, racism and hate speech/hate-based attacks against the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Greece.
