Greece
Greece regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR.
In 2017, Greece implemented ODIHR’s Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT). In June 2018, an "Agreement on inter-agency co-operation on addressing racist crimes" was concluded by relevant state authorities and a network of civil society organizations (CSOs) as part of ODIHR's project on "Building a Comprehensive Criminal Justice Response to Hate Crimes". Consequently, the agreement has led to improved hate crime recording and data collection. On February 2022, ODIHR held an online diagnostic workshop with government representatives, criminal justice actors and CSOs to assess structures and services for hate crime victim support in Greece.
In 2022, an office within the Ministry of Justice was tasked with overseeing the systematic collection of statistical data on hate crimes.
OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES
| Year | Hate crimes recorded by police | Prosecuted | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 97 | 115 | 22 |
| 2022 | 99 | 32 | 20 |
| 2021 | 110 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020 | 171 | 34 | 0 |
| 2019 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2018 | 164 | 17 | 4 |
| 2017 | 128 | 46 | 6 |
| 2016 | 40 | 6 | 2 |
| 2015 | 60 | 27 | 4 |
| 2014 | 71 | 29 | 5 |
| 2013 | 109 | 9 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | Not available |
| 2011 | Not available | Not available | 1 |
| 2010 | 2 | Not available | Not available |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | Not available |
Hate crime recorded by police
KEY OBSERVATION
INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY
INTERNATIONAL REPORTS
Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-Semitic hate crime
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) strongly encouraged the authorities in Greece to “combat racist crimes more actively”. It also expressed concern about anti-Semitism.
Racist and xenophobic hate crime
In Greece, in May 2009, a police officer allegedly defaced an extract of the Koran during an identity check on an Iraqi man. This led to demonstrations by the Muslim community that degenerated into violent clashes with the police. More than ten people were injured, dozens of cars were badly damaged and 46 people were arrested. In the two days following the protests, an unidentified group of people in Agios Panteleimonas set fire to a building used for prayer by the Muslim community. UNHCR reported that “members of extreme-right organizations and some local residents abused human rights activists”. The playground in Agios Panteleimonas where Afghan mothers used to go with their children was closed and immigrants have since been kept out of the square by local squads of vigilantes. A Greek flag has been raised inside the closed playground.