The aim of this paper is to study the media representation of refugee children as emblems of the right to education. Specifically, Kathimerini’s articles were examined from September 2016 (shortly before the children begun attending Greek schools) until January 2017, when Golden Dawn (Chrisi Avgi) invaded the Neo Ikonio Elementary School in Perama, Greece.
The empirical evidence was analysed in relation to theories on immigrant exclusion policies in the borders of the European Union countries (Greece being one of them). Greek racism towards immigrants was also studied alongside with the power of the media to create representations- that is, the way the media has portrayed immigrants and children and the right to education. The aim was to highlight the contradictory media representations that arise in the examination of this issue.
A qualitative analysis was conducted and the following representative groups were formed: Children as a threat, as beacons of the right to education and as innocent victims. It was found that the newspaper’s standpoints were contradictory; while the child refugees were represented in a seemingly positive light, there was also a racist undertone.