EU shares responsibility for the mistreatment of migrants in Greece

Media coverage of the mistreatment of migrants and asylum-seekers in Greece has focused, quite rightfully, on the responsibilities of the Greek government — both its duty to ensure that all individuals are processed according to legal guidelines and its duty to ensure their protection from violent abuse by vigilante gangs and even by public officials. This recent film highlights the Greek government’s persistent failings in both regards.

However, there is substantial evidence that the EU as a whole — through its Frontex operation — bears significant responsibility for these outrages to human dignity. Consider this 2011 report by Human Rights Watch.

And unlike the Greek government, the EU cannot blame its failings on insufficient resources or administrative capacity. Instead, this appears to be a shameless attempt by the Union to bottle up a humanitarian problem within the one member state that is least capable of addressing it, with no regard for the consequences for the human beings affected. Shame, shame.