EJC welcomes call by watchdog's call for ban of Greek neo-Nazi party

The European Jewish Congress has welcomed a report by the commissioner of human rights of the Council of Europe into the situation in Greece, and in particular the racism and hate by the Golden Dawn party. “This report is a strong milestone against growing racism, hate and intolerance in Greece and we welcome the report and call for its full implementation by the Greek authorities,” EJC President Moshe Kantor said. “Most importantly, it called for the possible prohibition of the neo-Nazi party because of activities associated with it. This is a necessary first for an official European institution and we hope the situation will be monitored very carefully.”

The report is the result of a visit by Commissioner Nils Muižnieks and a delegation to Greece from 28 January to 1 February 2013. In the course of this visit the the CoE delegation held discussions with state authorities and non-governmental, national and international organizations. The present report focuses on human rights issues.

“There are some very important elements in the report which we have been calling to be implemented for many years, like anti-racism and human rights campaigns in schools, the bolstering of anti-racism laws and strong police and legal enforcement,” Kantor said. “I hope the pressure from European institutions will continue and the Greek authorities will take these recommendations seriously.

"I also hope that there will be a similar report in the future on Hungary and other nations whose human rights violations are of great concern and needs to be addressed immediately,” he added.