Racist policing in Greece: UN report confirms ERRC findings and calls for ‘explicit prohibition’ of ethnic profiling
18 December 2024
Greece needs to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all allegations of racial profiling, racially motivated police violence and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, according to the UN committee dealing with racism and discrimination. The latest report by UNCERD, expressed concerns about reports of police violence targeting Roma and non-citizens such as migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; and the lack of detailed information on investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sanctions for such acts.
The publication of UNCERD’s Concluding Observations coincides with the ERRC’s latest report Ruthless & Racist: Policing Roma in the Balkans, which found that in Greece,
“Roma and other racialised minorities find themselves at the sharp end of systemic racism in the way they are policed, and brutal, sometimes lethal, police violence is a regular occurrence; the authorities fail to launch prompt and thorough investigations; and police impunity remains, for the most part, intact.”
In October 2024, on the third anniversary of the killing of one 18-year-old Romani youth and the wounding of two others shot by Greek police, human rights defenders and defense attorneys for the families issued a formal protest about the lack of any progress with the investigation into the shooting. Three years after the fatal shooting in October 2021, and two more killings by police of Romani youths, this investigation has ‘stagnated’.
For Roma, such abuses occur against a wider background of antigypsyism in Greece. The Committee ‘remained concerned’ about reports that “Roma communities continue to face marginalisation and social exclusion and that negative stereotypes, prejudices and intolerance against Roma remain widespread.”
UNCERD reiterated its previous recommendations and called on Greece to take measures to combat structural discrimination against Roma, and to ensure that Roma who are victims of discrimination have access to effective remedies; halt forced eviction of Roma, and when house demolition or forced eviction cannot be avoided, ensure that the families and individuals affected are provided with alternative adequate housing and compensation; and to end the de facto segregation in schools and intensify its efforts to ensure access by Roma children to quality and inclusive education.
The Committee was concerned about the low level of implementation activities under the respective Roma inclusion strategy and the National Action Plan against Racism and Intolerance (2020–2023), and the lack of activity by National Council against Racism and Intolerance.
Another concerning ‘low’ was the level of “reporting of complaints related to racial discrimination and hate crimes owing to reports of lack of trust by victims in the law enforcement agencies, widespread fear of reprisals by law enforcement officials.” This was compounded by a lack of awareness about complaint channels and the rights of victims, “and the perception that hate crimes are normalised and widespread.”
The authorities were urged to take measures to identify and effectively address all barriers to justice faced by victims of racist crimes and hate crimes, in particular by increasing access to legal aid. This included actively cultivating trust among victims of racial discrimination and hate speech in the institutions that dispense justice, and taking measures “to accelerate the administration of justice.”
UNCERD also recommended that the State party take effective measures to ensure the public condemnation of racist hate speech; and that those in charge distance themselves from racist hate speech by public figures, including politicians, and ensure that such acts are promptly and properly investigated, and appropriately sanctioned.
