Greece Tables Anti-Racism Bill Negotiations

Discussions are centered around prohibiting Holocaust denial and increasing stricter consequences for racially motivated crimes. A draft legislation vote is planned for later this week.

Speaking to Parliament, Justice Minister Haralambos Athanasiou stated, "We have anti-racism laws already, but the reason they were not applied was that immigrants, for example, were afraid to report the crimes because they did not hold proper travel documents, lived here illegally, and feared deportation", as reported by AP.

Human Rights Watch has supported the efforts, however the organization believes it doesn't promote crime reports by illegal immigrants residing in Greece. The humanitarian organization claimed that it jeopardized, "interference with freedom of expression and association."

Human Rights Watch also commented, "No one should risk prosecution simply for membership in a legal political party," referring to Golden Dawn. Golden Dawn lawmaker Antonis Gregos claimed that the bill is a "Satanic plot".