Anti-racism group reports rise in hate crimes
The United Movement Against Racism and the Fascist Threat (KEERFA), one of the country’s more active groups in raising awareness over hate crimes, has reported a spike in what appears to be racially motivated attacks against migrant workers.
In a social media post on Monday, KEERFA indicated that the phenomenon appears to be more acute in part of Athens with large migrant populations, while also suggesting that the spike in racially motivated attacks may be linked to the election of a far-right party backed by a top cadre of the now-defunct neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn.
“The presence of [Ilias] Kasidiaris’ Spartiates in Parliament has whet the fascist thugs’ appetite for coming back out with hate-filled attacks against migrant laborers,” KEERFA said.
It pointed to two recent incidents that reportedly took place in the districts of Sepolia and Peristeri. In the former, a migrant laborer at a manufacturing plant was verbally and physically assaulted while shopping for groceries on July 9. The alleged attacker was sporting a black T-shirt and a buzz cut – a look favored by the so-called “attack squads” of Golden Dawn. The victim, identified as Fiaz Ahmad, sustained bruises and a cut above his eye that required stitches.
The second incident KEERFA cited took place last month at a gas station in the western Athens suburb of Peristeri when a Pakistani employee admonished a customer for driving into the lot too fast. The assailant allegedly screamed “You f***ing Pakistani; I’ll kill you” as he beat Ghulam Abbas with a bat and his fists.
