Prosecutor to probe attacks on refugees
Greece’s Supreme Court prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou has ordered an investigation into whether two incidents involving attacks on migrants should be treated as racially motivated and charges should be brought against individuals involved in the assaults.
The first case relates to a decision by a parents’ association on the Aegean island of Samos to withdraw children from a local school in protest at the presence in classrooms of refugees from the island’s reception center.
The second case relates to an attack last Friday by a group of around 70 residents of Vilia, west of Athens, on a hotel hosting refugees. Some of the protesters lobbed petrol bombs and stones at the hotel and broke down the door while others threatened refugees, according to representatives of refugee aid groups.
The probe comes as aid organizations warn of a spike in racist attacks against migrants amid rising intolerance.
Another recent incident involved an attack on refugee children at a reception facility in Konitsa, northeastern Greece.
Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas and Citizens’ Protection Minister Olga Gerovasili condemned the attacks, with the former calling them “vile” and the latter saying that racism will not be tolerated.
