New legislation that includes harsher penalties for individuals and political parties who engage in racist acts or incite racist violence is to be discussed in Parliament on August 26, following months of delays. The anti-racism bill was first submitted to Parliament in November, but objections from then cabinet secretary Panayiotis Baltakos forced the government to withdraw the proposed legislation. The bill was submitted again but has not moved beyond the committee stages for several months. Now, a new version of the bill is to be tabled in a bid to bring Greece’s anti-racism legislation — which has not changed since 1979 — up to date. The draft law includes provisions dictating that political parties or associations promoting racism will be cut off from state funding for a period of one to six months. The Justice Minister will also have the right to impose fines between 10,000 to 100,000 euros to individuals involved in such acts. Individuals engaging in racist acts can be jailed for three months to three years. They will also face fines of 5,000 to 20,000 euros. If their actions lead to another crime, this will carry a minimum of six months in prison. Jail terms of three months to three years will also be handed down to anyone who praises or denies “the significance of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, the Holocaust and Nazism” in a manner that could incite racial hate or violence. If the perpetrator is an MP or public official then the jail sentence will be more stiff, from three to five years.
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