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Monday, November 12, 2012

On streets of Athens, racist attacks increase





Police are investigating the assault as yet another in a rising wave of extreme-right rage against foreigners as Greece sinks further into economic misery.

Rights groups warn of an explosion in racist violence over the past year, with a notable surge since national elections in May and June that saw dramatic gains by the far-right Golden Dawn party.

In an effort to plug that gap and sensitize a population numbed by three years of financial crisis, a group of rights groups and charities banded together to document the violence.

People are very, very much afraid," he said, adding that even going next door to buy bread, "I'm not sure I'll be safe to come back home.

The community's cultural center was attacked several weeks ago, with amateur video shot from across the street showing a group of muscled men in black T-shirts smashing the entrance.

"The only racist attacks that exist in Greece for the last years are the attacks that illegal immigrants are doing against Greeks," said Ilias Panagiotaros, a burly Golden Dawn lawmaker who divides his working time between Parliament and his sports shop, which also sells military and police paraphernalia.

In late August, the conservative-led coalition government began addressing the issue of illegal immigration by rounding up migrants.

Rights groups also warn that what started as xenophobic attacks is now spreading to include anyone who might disagree with the hard-right view.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.sfgate.com