Thessaloniki court convicts union members for racist rants

A man convicted of inciting racial hatred by a single-member tribunal court in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and fined 5,000 euros.

A trade unionist commented in a telephone interview with local media after a Pakistani immigrant beat a butcher at the Vlari market in May 2019. Bury the Pakistanis in Aristotelous Square. ”

The statement was duplicated by a local website and drew the attention of police officers in the police force fighting racist violence in Thessaloniki.

At the same time, he was indicted by a representative of the Greek Observatory of the Declaration of Helsinki.

The man denied the leveled accusations against him, stating that he was not a racist and had no xenophobic view. He has appealed the decision, which can be retried by the High Court.