ATHENS: Two Pakistani immigrants were in hospital late Saturday after being stabbed on the margins of an anti-racism rally on the outskirts of Athens, police said.
One of them was said to be in a serious condition.
The attack, in the western suburb of Metamorfossi, came after the end of the demonstration, in which about 300 people were protesting racist violence.
A motorbike and a car stopped in front of the men and a group of people got out and attacked them with knives. A third Pakistani immigrant with them at the time escaped unhurt, said police.
Since the neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn won seats in parliament in the June election, there has been a sharp rise in racist attacks in the immigrant quarters of Athens.
In recent weeks the once-fringe group has organised Greeks-only food handouts and blood donations, and has twice ousted migrant peddlers from street markets to the delight of local operators and the outrage of authorities.
The group's ratings have risen to over 10 percent in recent opinion polls.
Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias earlier this month stripped the group's 18 lawmakers of their police guards after one of them was allegedly implicated in the smashing of immigrant trading stalls.
But some observers say that the group's members have benefited from judicial inertia and a suspiciously soft-handed response by police, who usually fail to arrest Golden Dawn members even when under direct attack by them.
Last month, a young Iraqi was stabbed to death by five bikers.
Protests against the surge in racist violence also took place in the port of Piraeus, next to Athens, and in another Athens suburb.
COMMENTS (8)
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@Daniel Genseric
Yes that is very concise!
It's a fact no "anti-racists" in Africa are telling Africans they have no right to patrol their borders and kick out illegal immigrants.
It's a fact no "anti-racists" in Asia are telling Asians that mixed race people are better, and they should all mix together in Asia.
"Anti-racists" ONLY do this in White countries.
Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.
@Daniel Genseric
Yes that is very concise!
Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.
Do we really expect whites to react RATIONALLY to something as irrational as massive immgration and assimilation in EVERY white country and only in white countries? Do we really expect Aussies, Britons, Canadians, Russians, Europeans, and Americans to just "tuck tail" and stomach this obvious program designed to destroy ONLY white countries and every white person?
They want massive immigration and assimilation in EVERY white country and only in white countries. The UN and the ICC say that is GENOCIDE; white genocide.
They say they are anti-racist. What they are is anti-white.
Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.
Why were they in Greece in the first place?
@bilal: This is hate crime similar to what Railway Minister advocates.
This would have been on every new's headlines if it were 2 Greeks stabbed in Athens or even Pakistan. Goes to show how less of importance of life is given to Pakistanis these days, all because of ignorant behavior of our people back home. I hope they are both ok and recover soon. We have always been victims as Pakistanis aboard all due to stupidity Pakistanis in Pakistan. Whole world views us as threats.
europe kills muslims and specially pakistanis but even then former go into it even through illegal means