to the risk of arbitrary detention, also significantly increased the risk of extreme material deprivation for those waiting for their asylum claims to be registered, during which time they lack access to reception conditions.1046 2.4. Racist violence From 2022 to 2025, the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN), coordinated by UNHCR and the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, recorded hundreds of incidents of racist violence, a multitude of which concerned migrants, refugees and asylum applicants on account of their ethnic origin, religion or color.1047 As noted by RVRN,1048 based on the Network’s findings, the main patterns that were identified in 2022 were “the existence of racism in everyday life, the occurrence of incidents of organised racist violence, albeit to a limited extent, and the targeting of human rights defenders within Greek territory, especially those operating at the borders”, while the Network also recorded incidents in which the perpetrators either wore uniforms or were civil servants. While noting a decrease, compared to previous years, 1049 on the number of incidents of extreme racist violence perpetrated by organised groups, the RVRN also reported an ongoing pattern of under-reporting of racist violence incidents, flagging, in line with its findings of previous years, that “a significant number of victims do not report [such incidents] out of fear of secondary victimisation or re-victimisation”.1050 As noted by RVRN,1051 amongst the factors contributing to this pattern of under-reporting and fear from the victims’ side, while “fueling the feeling of impunity” on the side of perpetrators, was also the significant number of recorded incidents where the perpetrators were identified, by the victims, as “representatives of the state and indeed [from state bodies] with the competence to protect”. With regards 2024 and 2025, the RVRN’s relevant report had not yet been issued by the time of writing. In July 2025, the RVRN raised its concerns regarding the increasingly hostile discourse (political and public) regarding people on the move in Greece. These concerns included the use, by political leaders, political parties and public authorities, of derogatory terms including “invasion”, “clandestine” and “population replacement” in order to describe the incearse in arrivals, thereby portraying migrants and refugees as a societal threat, thereby contributing to a rise in racist violence.1052 According to a recent RSA report on Kos, incidents of racist violence were reported by Kos CCAC’s residents. “The presence of police is particularly noticeable in Kos town, with frequent reports of arbitrary detainment and body searches of CCAC residents, even incidents of racist violence. Discriminatory treatment at the hospital has also been reported, along with an incident of hostile behaviour toward an organisation’s members, including damage to their vehicle.”1053 Furthermore, on 26 June 2024, the first meeting of the National Council against Racism and Intolerance took place under the coordination of the Ministry of Social Cohesion; a positive development that coincides 1046 1047 1049 1050 1051 1052 1053 Also see MIT & RLS, Protection Unavailable: Dysfunctional Practices and Restrictions on the Right to Asylum, November 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/53xzvpes, particularly pp. 26 et seq; Joint CSO Statement, Shutdown of the Greek Asylum Service: Database Leaves People Unable To Claim Asylum And in Limbo, 21 June 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/338z4d59. RVRN, Annual Report 2022, April 2023, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/27bdrxje, p.5; RVRN, Annual Report 2023, April 2024, available in Greek here, p.5-9. On the reported situation in previous years, inter alia, see AIDA, Country Report Greece: 2022 Update, op.cit., pp. 181-183 and previous relevant reports, available at: https://bit.ly/3OFfA4i. Ibid. p.6. Ibid. p.25. RVRN, ‘Concern over the worsening climate against refugees and migrants in political and public discourse’, 14 July 2025, available here. RSA, Kos, 10 December 2024, available here. 217