Greece's 'anti-Roma' campaign: A new pattern of racial profiling in Europe

For Roma families living in Nea Zoi, an informal settlement near Aspropyrgos, Greece, the sound of surveillance drones before dawn has become routine. As day breaks, K-9 units and riot police block narrow dirt roads, armored officers surround neighborhoods, and armed squads break down doors of makeshift homes—all under the banner of 'public order.'

Since late 2025, this scene has repeated with alarming frequency: at least 76 raids in six months, involving 473 officers, targeting 152 Roma communities across Greece—more than one raid per week. According to the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), this is the largest anti-Roma campaign in decades. Greek politicians describe it as a tactical response to organized crime, but activists argue the police violence strategically merges migration control, border security, and domestic law enforcement, criminalizing Roma life.

'Preventive repression model'

The official language is carefully chosen to evade legal scrutiny. In formal reports on Operation 'ENTOS' (meaning 'from within'), the word 'Roma' never appears. Instead, officials refer to 'socially homogeneous groups' and 'illegal hotspots.' This vague phrasing allows the state to sidestep anti-discrimination laws while specifically targeting certain neighborhoods—a pattern seen in Slovenia's criminalization of 'illegal gatherings' (mainly targeting Roma) and Italy's targeting of homeless Roma women through security decrees.

Blurring borders and domestic policing

Across Europe, the line between domestic law enforcement and border control is fading, driven by the EU Migration Pact (effective June 2026). This legislation requires member states to integrate asylum procedures with domestic policing, bringing 'border logic' inside the territory. Roma-populated suburbs are now treated as 'internal borders,' facing militarized surveillance, collective punishment, and rapid displacement once reserved for migrants.

Drones flying over children playing in the streets; pre-dawn raids without individual warrants; K-9 units intimidating families—these tactics, common at borders, are now standard in Roma settlements. The campaign also recruits 'special informants' from within communities, echoing colonial tactics that break solidarity and encourage residents to inform on each other.

Using 'crime' to justify racism

Michalis Chrysochoidis, Greece's Minister of Citizen Protection, stated Operation ENTOS aims to 'prevent and control crime without tolerating 'special zones' outside the law.' Each post-raid press release repeats the familiar line: 'Targeted police operations are carried out with the goal of strengthening citizens' sense of security, preventing and combating crime.'

Analysts note that the 'anti-crime' rhetoric has served as a convenient and dangerous mask for anti-Roma actions for over a century—from France's special ID cards for nomads (1912–2017), to Nazi Germany's portrayal of Roma as 'asocial criminal elements' to justify genocide, to Italy's 2008 'Nomad Emergency.' In Greece, framing Roma communities as 'illegal hotspots' is one of the oldest racist tropes, now updated with drones and data.

Linking crime with Roma creates a narrative that makes heavy-handed policing, evictions, and exclusionary policies seem necessary for public safety rather than illegal ethnic targeting. 'Security' serves a dual purpose: suspending legal procedures to enable immediate evictions, and erasing minority communities from the urban landscape to make way for development projects. Since the 1990s, Greek authorities have conducted repeated 'cleanup' campaigns, including forced evictions under the guise of public order, often to clear space for commercial, infrastructure, or sports projects—including the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Before it becomes the norm

What is alarming about Operation ENTOS, beyond its scale and brutality, is the lack of international scrutiny. So far, no English-language media has significantly covered this systematic campaign. The ERRC holds the only dataset on the raids, compiled from local activists and analysis of police press releases.

Brussels' silence is equally concerning. As the EU pushes for tighter border control, it seems to overlook how these policies are weaponized against its own citizens. If this campaign continues without condemnation, it will set a dangerous precedent for similar practices across the continent.

Activists warn that when a state uses its monopoly on violence to treat its own citizens as invaders in their own homes based on ethnicity, it crosses a line. This normalizes the idea that some lives can be discarded. For Roma in Nea Zoi, Aspropyrgos, the drones and K-9 units will return. The question is whether anyone is watching this time.