Anti-racist festival in Athens a great success against a backdrop of state racism

Thursday 10 July 2025, by Andreas Sartzekis

[Αναδημοσίευση από το International Viewpoint, από το γαλλικό πρωτότυπο: Festival antiraciste à Athènes, un grand succès sur fond d’offensive de racisme d’État]

Thousands of participants, numerous debates and strong international solidarity: the Athens Anti-Racist Festival 2025 bears witness to the vitality of the anti-racist movement, despite the alarming political situation in Greece.

The 26th Anti-Racism Festival once again saw thousands of people, many of them young people, take part in the debates, concerts, meals featuring cuisine from all over the world, and political and associative stands (with many associations of foreign peoples)… As every year, it was a moment of united organisation that reflects the strength of the anti-racist movement – even if it remains too fragmented for the rest of the year.

A racist policy endorsed by the Mitsotakis government

The Greek government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is at the forefront of anti-refugee policy, in line with the guidelines of the European Union… which, at the same time, finds that it is too demonstrative in its racist policy! The previous ‘Migration’ minister, Makis Voridis, was in charge of the youth wing of the fascist colonial junta. He was immediately replaced in this post by the son of the Nazi ideologue Kostas Plevris, who made his programme known around ten years ago: kill refugees to dissuade them from coming.

With ministers like these, appointed by Mitsotakis to win the loyalty of the far-right electorate, it is clear that the situation is intolerable. The same applies to the ‘reception camps’, which are located on islands facing Turkey and are in reality unliveable. The European Commission also condemns the fact that there is no financial aid whatsoever for recognised refugees. The situation of unaccompanied minors is very worrying, and the Greek government has twice been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights on this issue.

Two years after the sinking of the boat carrying 750 refugees, more than 600 of whom perished off the coast of Pylos, the illegal turning back of boats into international waters continues. The survivors’ lawyers are calling for criminal proceedings to be brought against those in charge of the authorities who were supposed to be organising the rescue, but who were very late in collecting the victims. Added to this is the passivity of the authorities in the face of the organisation, at the end of June, of a veritable pogrom on the initiative of fascists, against the installation by the administration of 500 refugees in a stadium in Crete…

A space for solidarity and international struggles

Racist abuses in Greece were at the centre of many debates, but many other issues were also addressed. In particular, the race to rearm, a debate attended by at least 500 people, including Rima Hassan. And of course, solidarity with Palestine, which was on display everywhere, reflecting the many demonstrations of support in Greece. Not forgetting workshops such as the presentation of Fascisme et grand capital by Daniel Guérin, translated by our comrade Tassos Goudelis.

An invigorating festival, at a time when Mitsotakis, by combining extreme right-wing politics with the traditional clientelism of his political family, is embroiled in a new scandal – this time linked to European subsidies granted for fictitious sheep…

A. Sartzekis, Athens, 6 July 2025

[Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.]

[Αναδημοσίευση από το International Viewpoint]

[Le même en français: «Festival antiraciste à Athènes, un grand succès sur fond d’offensive de racisme d’État«]

https://tpt4.org/?p=10244