A/HRC/32/50/Add.1 49. Similarly, civil society organizations provided information about “citizens’ groups” which had allegedly been formed in some Athenian neighbourhoods, such as Aghios Panteleimonas and Attiki, as self-appointed neighbourhood watch groups. These groups claimed to fill the void left by the financially strapped police forces by patrolling the streets at night to protect residents and rid the streets and parks of migrants. 50. The Special Rapporteur was informed of the failure by police to respond adequately to incidents and reports of violence against migrants and asylum seekers. Despite circulars by the Ministry of Citizen Protection, amendments to the Police Code of Ethics, and training courses on human rights, the police appear ill equipped or ill disposed to investigate reports of racist violence. Police behaviour towards undocumented migrants who are the victims of racist attacks seems to nurture a lack of faith and a fear of arrest and deportation, deterring many from considering seeking assistance from law enforcement agencies. The Special Rapporteur was further informed about the underreporting of homophobic and transphobic violence. Allegations of collusion between police officers and the Golden Dawn party also seem to have diminished trust in the police among victims of racist and homophobic violence. Furthermore, the fact that the police have in the past requested a number of victims to pay a fee of €100 to lodge their complaints created an additional obstacle. Article 5 of Law No. 4285/2014 expressly rules out the imposition of such fees. D. Racism and extremism in the political arena 51. The Special Rapporteur noted with great concern the rise of neo-Nazi ideology and the rapid increase of its visibility and influence, in both Greek society and the political arena. Since the economic crisis, Greece has seen the rise of Golden Dawn, which entered the Athens City Council in 2010 and Parliament in 2012. The leadership and members of Golden Dawn have openly voiced their hatred of immigrants and Jews on many occasions, as well as praised Nazism and Adolf Hitler, and engaged in denial of the Holocaust and in anti-Semitic hate speech. 52. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur was informed that Golden Dawn had repeatedly used Parliament as a platform for its racist propaganda. There had been no strong reaction by Parliament to that extreme example of hate speech, which had been widely reported in the Greek media. The lack of resolute responses against hate speech in Parliament was pointed out by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, following his visit to Greece in early 2013. Only recently has action been taken against Golden Dawn members of Parliament by those chairing parliamentary sessions. 53. Members of Parliament representing Golden Dawn participated personally in attacks against migrants, for example, by destroying their open market stalls and verbally or physically abusing members of the public who objected to their actions, in 2012 and 2013. Such incidents were shown on major television channels, and issues of impunity were raised, as the police did not intervene during these incidents. Golden Dawn members also staged events such as the distribution of food and medicine, and the provision of free medical examinations or blood donations, only to those who could prove they were Greek citizens through their identification papers. 54. However, the party’s leadership seems to have crossed a clear line in September 2013, when a Golden Dawn member allegedly stabbed to death a 34-year-old singer who was known for his anti-fascist opinions. The killing, on the outskirts of Piraeus, triggered a chain of inquiries that led to a number of high-profile Golden Dawn members being charged as belonging to a criminal organization. Several top officials of the party were subsequently arrested. So far, 78 members have been accused of constituting a criminal organization, and 30 are being held in prison awaiting trial; eight of them are Golden Dawn 14