experiencing a worrying intensification of activities of racist extremist organizations, including political parties and added that the upsurge has even reached the point of “an early form of far right terror”. The rise of Golden Dawn in Greece, which won 6, 92% of the vote in the national elections of June 2012 and 18 seats in the Greek Parliament, shows how the economic crisis has brought a massive realignment of the Greek electorate away from mainstream parties, giving rise to anti-system and anti-immigrant sentiments. On May 19, 2013, Spokesman for the Golden Dawn Ilias Kasidiaris party told supporters at a rally late, “If a mosque is constructed for Islamist criminals in Greece, a front of 100,000 Greeks headed by Golden Dawn will be created”.2 The threat came days after the far-right party has given a one-month ultimatum for Muslims to leave Greece or they will be “slaughtered like chickens”.3 In November 2013, Golden Dawn has pledged to organize mass protests against the construction of a mosque in central Athens after the tender for the project was awarded. Golden Dawn said the awarding of the contract was an “unprecedented provocation” and that it would use its position “within Parliament and mainly through mass, powerful demonstrations” to prevent the mosque being built.4 Nils Muiznieks noted that in addition to migrants, other social groups have also been targeted by hate speech and violence including Muslim minority of Turkish origin. The Golden Dawn supporters made demonstrations in the villages where the Minority lives and chanted slogans against the Minority and Turkey. In Xanthi and Komotini, Golden Dawn supporters with Greek flags in their hands drove by the Turkish villages by motorbikes and cars. Two young minority people were attacked by Golden Dawn supporters and beaten them blatantly, and the perpetrator in the case of Cemali Mülazım was sentenced to 7 months of imprisonment by Xanthi Criminal Court, but the enforcement of the verdict has been deferred for 3 years.5 The Golden Dawn has triggered further intolerance and leads to the trivialization of racism in society. Lastly, on 17 September 2013, a 35-year-old rapper Pavlos Fyssas, who defined himself as anti-fascist was stabbed to death by a man who is a member of Golden Dawn. The death of Pavlos Fyssas drew condemnation from across Greece’s political spectrum and from abroad. The Greek Parliament suspended state funding for Golden Dawn, which is accused of criminal activities, and Golden Dawn's leader, Nikolaos Mihaloliakos was arrested. On 1 November 2013, two members of Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn have been killed and a third wounded in a drive-by shooting outside the party’s offices in an Athens suburb. This has alarmed the authorities, and has raised our fear that this could even turn into a political clash among different groups, which threatens public safety and peace. Though too late, we welcome government’s efforts in its fight against neo-Nazi Golden Dawn and establishment of anti-racist political units and appointment of a special prosecutor to deal with racist crime and prepare a new anti-racism legislation. All forms of hate crimes 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. We welcome the government’s effort in transposing the European Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 “on combating certain and in forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law” replace Law 927/1979, although the deadline was 28 November 2010. We invite the Government of Greece to impose effective penalties or prohibition, if necessary for the extremist activities of political organizations, including Golden Dawn political party. Such politi2 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greek-neo-nazis-threaten-to-mobilize-againstmosque.aspx?pageID=238&nid=47230 3 http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/05/18/greeces-muslims-cite-slaughter-threat/ 4 http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_16/11/2013_528140 5 http://www.gundemgazetesi.com/news/detay_02.php?h1_id=1364 2