Greek authorities have launched one of the country's largest crackdowns on suspected illegal immigrants, deploying 4,500 police officers around Athens and detaining more than 7,000 immigrants in less than 72 hours. Most have been released, but about 2,000, mostly Africans and Asians, were arrested and sent to holding centres pending deportation. The operation, dubbed Xenios Zeus after the Greek god of hospitality, comes amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment and a worsening economic crisis.
Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said the government would not allow the country to become a 'migrant ghetto'. Speaking to Skai TV, he described the influx as 'perhaps even bigger than our financial one' and called it 'Greece's greatest invasion ever'. Authorities are planning to build eight detention centres in the capital capable of holding up to 10,000 immigrants. On Sunday, 88 undocumented Pakistanis were deported on flights accompanied by guards.
Greece, often seen as an entry point to the European Union, has seen a surge in arrivals, with over 100 migrants crossing its border with Turkey daily. An estimated one million immigrants live in Greece, a country of 11 million. The economic crisis and political radicalisation have fuelled xenophobia, with the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party capturing 6.9% of the vote in recent elections. Racist attacks have escalated, according to Human Rights Watch.
The crackdown has drawn criticism. The left-wing Syriza party called it a 'pogrom' and an 'insult to justice and humanity', accusing the government of using migrants to divert attention from unpopular austerity measures demanded by the EU and IMF. Despite the controversy, the operation has been welcomed by parts of the media, with the Kathimerini newspaper stating that security is finally 'returning to the centre of Athens'.
