Racist violence creeping up in Greece, report finds

Attacks by organized groups against migrants, refugees and activists have been creeping up in Greece, the Athens-based Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) said on Wednesday, and it called for zero tolerance towards racist violence.

In its 2017 annual report, RVRN said the living conditions of refugees and migrants on Greek islands, where thousands are stranded in dire, overcrowded camps, drove xenophobic rhetoric in local communities, sometimes with "extreme manifestations."

It found violent assaults had increased in Athens too, and said perpetrators appeared to execute instructions given to them by their organisations based on pre-meditated plans.

"The RVRN alarmingly observes an increase in the number of assaults committed by groups employing 'hit-and-run' like practices," the report said.

On the island of Leros, asylum-seekers reported they had been...