Government in the recent past at the level of national legislation to combat racism and hate crimes in the country. All forms of hate and atrocity crimes and violence targeted against minorities and other vulnerable groups constitute serious human rights violations and there is a need to impose on the perpetrators of sentences that are effective, proportionate and appropriate to the offence committed. Recalling the draft recommendations to prevent violence and atrocity crimes, inter alia, the recommendation 12, stating that States should comply with international standards of minority rights protection, equality and non-discrimination, and implement the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and other relevant regional and international standards in full, We urge the Greek State: - To impose effective penalties or prohibition, if necessary for the extremist activities of political organizations, including the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party. Such political parties, where evidence demonstrates that they advocate for and are involved directly or indirectly in acts of racist violence, must be banned and excluded from all state subsidies which are usually provided to political parties. - To counter prejudices and misrepresentation in the Greek majority population, to promote educational and awareness-raising programs for combating intolerant discourse and to encourage the promotion of tolerance, dialogue, respect and mutual understanding through the media including the internet. Its efforts should in particular be targeted at the younger generation in order to build up their understanding of the need for tolerance and the importance of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence. - To abolish the nationwide 3% electoral threshold applied also to independent candidates and minority parties in national elections, which will ensure the participation of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace at all levels of politics and decision-making bodies in Greece as an essential measure that hate crimes and violence targeted against the Minority are recognized as early as possible and are appropriately addressed by the Government and public bodies. - To ensure co-operation, where appropriate, at both national and international levels including with relevant international bodies and between police forces, to combat violence and hate crimes targeted against the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace and other vulnerable groups in Greece.