Greece’s Supreme Court has anew intervened into the alarming “racist” and “hatred” incidents in the North-Eastern part of the country, after one more “self-proclaimed sheriff” arrested and most likely also also beat four migrants.
The SC has requested the Public Processor in Athens responsible for racism, human trafficking and mistreatment of nationals or foreigners to investigate the possible commission of criminal acts against refugees and immigrants, as a result of complaints and posts by users on “Facebook”, with racist or hate speech content, etc.
In particular, with his orders, the prosecutor reportedly is asked to investigate whether “specific criminal incidents have taken place, in which the application of the automatic procedure is clearly indicated, in order to eliminate any trace of the revival of the medieval phenomenon of self-trial that can expose our country internationally ».
August 25, 2023
August 28, 2023
The request specifically regards the incident on August 25 and 28, 2023. respectively where one Albanian national living in Greece confined 13 migrants and refugees and accused them of starting wildfires in the forests of Evros and Dadia. In the second incident, most likely also a foreign national, has recorded four migrants on the ground on a land road and urged his social media followers to do something against the “illegals.” In other posts, the man was wearing a big cross to resemble a priest and he was citing fake saints and religion as ordering the apprehending of migrants who “want to destroy our country.”
In his order to the Alexandroupoli First Instance Prosecutor’s Office, the Athens Prosecutor stated:
“As part of your mission to uphold the law and preserve the rules of public order (art. 28 par. 2 Or.Dic.), we are sending:
a) The 25-8-2023 press release of the Network for Recording Incidents of Racist Violence, coordinated by the National Commission for Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Greece, entitled “Serious concern over the escalation of targeting refugees and immigrants”, where there is even talk of a “more general climate of targeting and racist attitudes against refugees and immigrants” and of a “deteriorating climate” according to them “in political and public discourse”,
b) a publication posted on the website “www.in.gr” on 28-8-2023 with the title “Evros: the volunteer militiamen continue their action – new video”,
c) a publication posted on the website “www.efsyn.gr” on 25-8-2023 entitled “The far-right sheriffs of Evros through the eyes of LeMonde” and
d) publication posted on the website “ThePressProject” on 23-8-2023 entitled “Evros: Fascists call for pogroms of refugees and immigrants via viber” and please investigate quickly, thoroughly and decisively the validity or otherwise of the multiple complaints therein , as well as in any other relevant publications that mention specific criminal incidents in the near future, in which the application of the automatic procedure is clearly indicated, in order to eliminate any trace of the revival of the medieval phenomenon of self-justice that can expose our country internationally”.
In regards to his order to the Athens First Instance Prosecutor’s Office, the Deputy Prosecutor of the Supreme Court sent posts by users of the online platform “Facebook”, with racist or hate speech content, etc..
Based on these posts, the Athens prosecutor also requested an to be conducted by the Electronic Crime Prosecution Directorate any acts prosecuted ex officio, such as those of articles 184 of the Criminal Code. (Incitement to commit crimes, acts of violence or discord), 187 P.K. (Criminal organization), 190 (Threat to commit crimes) P.C., 135 P.C. (Preparatory acts of high treason), 1 Law 927/79 (Intolerant rhetoric) etc.
Worth noting on the Aug 25 incident: the police apprehended the far-right Albanian national and his two Greek collaborators as well as the confined migrants of Syrian and Pakistani nationality. The perpretrators were put under house arrest, while the migrants were set free of charges for alleged arson, however, they are still in trouble with authorities as they were found to have entered illegal into Greece.