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Author Topic: U.S. warns Greece visitors about ‘unprovoked’ attacks against foreigners!  (Read 659 times)

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Offline rotatopoti3

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U.S. warns Greece visitors about ‘unprovoked’ violent attacks against foreigners
Published on Friday November 16, 2012
The Associated Press

ATHENS, GREECE—The U.S. Embassy in Athens updated its travel advice Friday for American citizens visiting Greek cities, warning them to beware of the possibility of “unprovoked harassment and violent attacks” against people who could be mistaken for foreign migrants.

Racist attacks hit alarming levels:UN

Greece has seen an increase in racist violence over the past year, with dark-skinned migrants attacked by groups of men armed with metal bars, knives and wooden bats. Tens of thousands of migrants have also been rounded up by police in a government crackdown on illegal immigration.

The country has also seen a rise in popularity of the extreme nationalist Golden Dawn party, which went from a fringe group in 2009 elections to win nearly 7 per cent of the vote and 18 seats in the 300-member Parliament in June. The party advocates that all immigrants should be expelled, but denies its members have been involved in racist attacks.

In a security message, the embassy said the State Department's travel section had been “updated to inform U.S. citizens of a rise in unprovoked harassment and violent attacks against persons who, because of their complexion, are perceived to be foreign migrants. U.S. citizens most at risk are those of African, Asian, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern descent in Athens and other major cities.”

The travel advice on Greece also said the embassy “has confirmed reports of U.S. African-American citizens detained by police authorities conducting sweeps for illegal immigrants in Athens.”

Tourism is a major source of revenue in Greece, and the country is sensitive to any travel advice that might affect visitors. The country is struggling through a deep financial crisis that has left one in four Greeks out of work and the country facing a sixth year of a recession.

“Greece was and remains a safe country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said in a statement. “The isolated incidents of racist violence which have occurred are foreign to Greeks, our civilization and the long tradition of Greek hospitality.”

Delavekouras stressed that the government was “following a zero tolerance policy” against such incidents “and is taking all the necessary measures for the prevention and suppression of such behaviour, which we condemn.”

On Thursday, police said a 31-year-old Greek policeman had been arrested on suspicion of robbing migrants at gunpoint in a racially tense part of central Athens.

The muggings took place in the capital's Aghios Panteleimon district, home to thousands of immigrants from Asia and Africa — many of whom entered Greece illegally. The crime-ridden area has become a flashpoint of recent racist attacks, with gangs of ultranationalists smashing immigrants' shops and attacking dark-skinned people.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2012, 08:53:58 PM by rotatopoti3 »
Ah say it, how ah see it

Offline rotatopoti3

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Greece is a perfect example of what is going horribly wrong when people have no where to turn...Europe is turning into a real shithole...

the extreme right wing neo group like GOLDEN DAWN is gaining momentum.....will France be next....75% tax rates.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMhx9sGg3lA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHDBNl-Y644

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPl9PW7ONIQ displaced immigrants....

Get rid of ALL the immigrants - lets see if thats the solution
« Last Edit: December 17, 2012, 09:53:38 PM by rotatopoti3 »
Ah say it, how ah see it

Offline rotatopoti3

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Greece's treatment of migrants shameful, says Amnesty

Greece fails to provide even basic requirements of safety and shelter to migrants, the report says

Greece faces a "humanitarian crisis" over its mistreatment of asylum-seekers and migrants, according to a report by Amnesty International.

The group accuses the government of detaining thousands of refugees, including many children, in "shameful [and] appalling" conditions.

Greece is a major gateway for migrants from Asian and African countries as they try to enter the European Union.

Attacks against foreigners have been on the rise in the debt-stricken nation.

The report claimed that Greece systematically fails to provide the most basic requirements of safety and shelter to the thousands of asylum-seekers passing through the country ever year.

"Greece is clearly failing very significantly to absorb and respect the rights of the many migrants that are crossing its land and sea borders with Turkey," Amnesty International spokesman John Dalhuisen said.

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the EU has a humanitarian crisis not beyond its borders, not on its borders, but within its borders."

'At mercy of violence'
In particular, the report highlights the plight of unaccompanied children held in "very poor conditions" at the recently opened Corinth detention centre, calling it a breach of international standards.

The study also draws attention to the "dramatic increase" of racially motivated attacks, now reported on an almost daily basis.

Mr Dalhuisen said many migrants found themselves "at the mercy of violence" in the capital, Athens.

The BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens says there is growing pressure on Greece to develop an effective and fair asylum system and improve its policy towards migrants, and on Europe to step in with concrete solutions.

The far-right Golden Dawn party has recently seen a rise in its popularity and won 18 seats in parliament on a wave of public anger against austerity.

The party blames some of the country's economic problems on illegal immigration.

Observers see this as a key factor contributing to the growing climate of xenophobia in Greece.

In August, police in Athens arrested more than 1,100 immigrants without documents, and brought in another 4,900 for questioning as part of Operation Xenios Zeus.
Ah say it, how ah see it

 

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