A report by Amnesty International, entitled A law unto themselves: A culture of abuse and impunity in the Greek police, reveals multiple incidents of police brutality and the close relationship of some police officials with the ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn party.
The report, released Wednesday, asserts that police authorities are often accused of excessive use of force against protesters and ill-treatment of immigrants. It is also noted that in many cases authorities are unwilling to conduct thorough and impartial investigations into racist attacks.
A December 2013 investigation into the criminal activities of Golden Dawn found ten police officers to have direct or indirect links with the party’s members involved.
“Our investigation shows that the Golden Dawn debacle is only the tip of the iceberg. Entrenched racism, excessive use of force and deep-rooted impunity are a blight on the Greek police.” said Amnesty International’s Jezerca Tigani. She urged the Greek state to tackle police violence and proposed the creation of an independent police complaint mechanism to investigate wrong-doing by officers.
The report cites a dramatic increase of hate attacks against immigrants as well as the Roma and the LGBTI community over the past three years, noting that police authorities usually fail to prevent such attacks or investigate the motive behind them.
“With their actions Greek police pander to xenophobic far-right groups who are intent on attacking anyone who does not conform to their idea of mainstream society,” said Tigani, adding that Greek police, rather than maintaining law and order, are tasked with the suppression of protesters and the prosecution of vulnerable groups.
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