Legislation the Greek government had been preparing that calls for tougher penalties for those convicted of racist crimes, such as the rising spate of attacks on immigrants, will go the Parliament on May 10 for consideration, Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis said
Speaking to the Athens-Macedonia News Agency, Roupakiotis made it clear that the draft legislation seeks to rein in the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, his nemesis, and often blamed for the assaults, which it has denied.
“Beyond making penalties more stringent, this bill aims to provide solutions to the problems caused by the behavior of some parliamentary parties,” he said, admitting that the legislation has been prompted by Golden Dawn’s targeting of migrants.
“There is no point in mincing our words, it is about Golden Dawn but it is not just Golden Dawn that is active in Greece, it is the Golden Dawns around Europe,” added Roupakiotis. The party has risen from ridicule and obscurity, winning just 0.29 percent of the vote in 2009 to gaining 18 seats in Parliament last year although its leader said he hates the institution.
Roupakiotis said that the issue had “matured” and it is likely to get cross-party backing. Opposition SYRIZA gave its backing to the bill, adding that it had been “very much delayed.”
Roupakiotis did not provide any details about what penalties politicians could face but said those “breaching the law, parliamentary rules and who undermine institutions” would face action. The bill is set to bring Greece in line with a 2008 European Union directive on combating racism.
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