Greece amended its criminal code to include gender identity as a protected characteristic. This additional characteristic applies to the general penalty enhancement provision.
Greece reported a case involving the destruction of merchandise belonging to two men of African origin.
Human Rights Watch reported two attacks by a group including one against two men from Somalia involving bottles and one against four men, resulting in their hospitalization.
The Racist Violence Recording Network reported the murders of an Egyptian man and an Iraqi boy; 142 physical assaults including 66 assaults resulting in serious injury; and 22 incidents of property damage also involving physical assaults, including against shops and restaurants owned by migrants. The majority of victims were from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and also included victims from Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Guinea, Morocco, Somalia and Sudan.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe and the Western Minority University Graduates Association both reported one case of graffiti on the building of the Xanthi Turkish Union.
The Greek Helsinki Monitor reported one case of graffiti, including swastikas, on a Holocaust Memorial of the Jews of Rhodes.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe and the Western Minority University Graduates Association reported two cases of desecration of graves.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks reported a further two cases of physical assault, one of which resulted in serious injury, and three cases of property damage.
The Lesbian and Gay Community of Greece (OLKE) reported one attack by a group against several volunteers distributing anti-homophobic flyers.
The Racist Violence Recording Network reported one physical assault against a gay man.
Transgender Europe (TGEU) reported a physical assault against a transgender woman.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe recommended that Greece pursue efforts to improve its police response to hate crimes, including by providing specialized training, noting the disturbing reports of hate crimes during 2012. He also encouraged authorities to ensure that the mandate of the new police antiracist units was sufficiently broad to address homophobic hate crime.
ODIHR observes – in the context of the disparity between reported official and IGO/NGO information on Greece – that reliable data can only be collected through mechanisms that capture all cases reported to law enforcement, and that victims should be encouraged to report hate crimes.