Greece - Overview

As Greece’s refugee reception system struggled to cope with the numbers of refugees entering the country in recent years, large numbers of local and international civil society organisations helped to provide humanitarian relief to migrants. This was done amid complaints that authorities are imposing unduly restrictive rules on NGOs providing humanitarian assistance. For the most part, protestors are able to exercise their right to peacefully assemble in public in pursuit of a range of social and political causes. Nevertheless, recent anti-austerity protests have resulted in violence and the use of force by police to contain demonstrations. Although the media is free to reflect a plurality of views, government officials sometimes employ legal mechanisms to try and stave off negative reporting, while far-right politicians have been accused of intimidating journalists.