Challenges to Desecuritizing Migration in Greece

The initial response in Greece to the unexpected emergence of mass migration to that country in the 1990s was one that framed the issue of migration as a threat to both Greek culture and individuals' personal security—as existential dangers from which both the Greek state and society needed protection. We argue that this initial period of securitization—and its corresponding discourse of criminality, policing and danger—was succeeded by elite attempts to ‘desecuritize’ migration and reframe the issue in terms of social inclusion and integration, at least with respect to legal migrants. Public opinion, however, has recently moved in a more anti-migrant direction—particularly in the context of severe economic crisis—raising questions about the ability of political elites to desecuritize an issue once previous securitizing attempts have succeeded.