Greek Helsinki Monitor activities in 2023

INACH Newsletter September 2023

News from our members

Greek Helsinki Monitor

(GHM)’s major work concerns combating hate, mostly on-line speech. In the framework of the INACH-led Safenet project, platforms have removed since January 2023 more than 300 posts or accounts reported by GHM, half of which authored by neo-Nazis.

Moreover, following GHM related reports, prosecutors have launched criminal investigations against neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party for homophobic actions, a former football star and now extreme right politician for hate speech posts removed by the platforms, two cases of transphobic and xenophobic front page covers of a daily trash newspaper, two conservative New Democracy government politicians for xenophobia and antiziganism, and football hooligans for incitement to violence.

In addition, following GHM reports in previous years, Prosecutors have referred to trial in 2023 a notorious neo-Nazi politician and lawyer for his  repeated fascist salutes in the appeals trial of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, the leader of an extreme right party for antiziganism, a racist and conspiracy theory blogger for incitement to homophobic violence against judges, a bus driver for racist behavior against a migrant passenger, while the European Parliament lifted the immunity of a Greek neo-Nazi MEP so that he will be referred to trial for antisemitic and xenophobic comments.

Also, the first instance conviction for public incitement to anti-migrant hatred of another trash daily paper, following a GHM complaint, was confirmed on appeal.   

Finally, a Supreme Court prosecutor accepted a GHM application and filed for the cassation of an acquittal on appeal of a union leader who had been convicted at first instance for incitement to racist violence following a GHM complaint: the Supreme Court will hear the case in November 2023.  

In recognition of his work, GHM’s Panayote Dimitras received the Antiracism Award for 2023 during the annual march against discrimination organized by the Greek Forum of Migrants on 21 March 2023. 

Safenet 2023: Αναφορές και αφαιρέσεις αναρτήσεων για ρητορική μίσους στις πλατφόρμες κοινωνικής δικτύωσης (Ιανουάριος – Αύγουστος 2023)

Το 24μηνο έργο (2023-2024) «SafeNet: Παρακολούθηση και Αναφορές για Ασφαλέστερα Περιβάλλοντα στο Διαδίκτυο» επιδιώκει να εφαρμόσει μια ολοκληρωμένη και διαθεματική προσέγγιση για την πρόληψη και την καταπολέμηση της μισαλλοδοξίας, του ρατσισμού και της ξενοφοβίας στο διαδίκτυο.

Συμμετέχουν 21 εταίροι, πολλοί από τους οποίους είναι μέλη του Διεθνούς Δικτύου κατά του Κυβερνο Μίσους (INACH), και η ίδια η οργάνωση-ομπρέλα. Πολλοί (όπως και το Ελληνικό Παρατηρητήριο των Συμφωνιών του Ελσίνκι) αποτελούν αξιόπιστες πηγές επισήμανσης παράνομου περιεχομένου (trusted flaggers) και έχουν λάβει μέρος στα προγράμματα παρακολούθησης στο πλαίσιο του Κώδικα Δεοντολογίας της ΕΕ για την αντιμετώπιση της παράνομης ρητορικής μίσους στο διαδίκτυο.

Ακολουθούν τα αποτελέσματα της σχετικής δράσης του Ελληνικού Παρατηρητηρίου των Συμφωνιών του Ελσίνκι για την περίοδο Ιανουαρίου-Αυγούστου 2023.

Safenet 2023: Reporting and removal of hate speech content in IT companies (January – August 2023)

The 24-month project “SafeNet: Monitoring and Reporting for Safer Online Environments” seeks to apply a comprehensive and intersectional approach to prevention and fight against intolerance, racism and xenophobia online.

It joins 21 partners, many of them members of the International Network against Cyber Hate (INACH) and the umbrella organisation itself. Many (including Greek Helsinki Monitor) are trusted flaggers and have taken part in the monitoring exercises within the scope of the Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online.

Below are the results of the related activity of all partners for the period January-August 2023.

Results only on Greece and in Greek for the same period are available here.