On 7 March 2022, the Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma filed a complaint alleging that racist rhetoric was directed at the Roma community by the head of social services of the municipality of Salamina.
According to the complaint, Athanasios Alaiskas, a municipal councillor of Salamina, wrote an offensive comment on a Facebook post by Salamina Mayor George Panagopoulos. The post concerned the removal of old payphones from the island, and Mr Alaiskas wrote “…Where will the Roma defecate now?”
In a letter to Mr. Alaiska, the Confederation noted that targeting the Roma in this way fostered feelings of racism and prejudice amongst citizens which could lead to hate speech, discrimination or even violence towards the Roma community. The letter also highlighted that the Councillor’s position as head of the social services of the Municipality of Salamina not only does not allow him to make racist comments, but that he should strive for the full access of all citizens and especially those at risk of social exclusion, such as the Roma, to public goods such as education, health, housing and employment. Discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of nationality, religion, colour, sexual orientation or any other characteristic is prohibited by the Constitution itself, Article 4 of which guarantees the equality of all citizens.
Although discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of any personal characteristic is prohibited by Article 4 of the Constitution, this case highlights a serious incident of racist rhetoric by a person holding public office in the municipality of Salamina.
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