All Golden Dawn (Greek fascist party) MPs could lose immunity
Greek investigating judges have asked for nine more MPs in the far-right Golden Dawn party (3rd-largest party in Greece) to have their parliamentary immunity lifted to allow criminal charges to be laid. If parliament backs the request, all 18 of the party's MPs would be accused of running a criminal organisation.
Nine are already facing charges and party leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos is one of six in jail pending trial. Their arrests followed the killing of an anti-fascist musician.
The judges also said additional charges should be laid against six of those already facing prosecution, including the party leader. Greek news agency ANA-MPA said the charges involved possession of firearms and ammunition with the aim to supply a criminal organisation.
A crackdown on the far-right party's activities began after musician Pavlos Fyssas, 34, was murdered last September. A party supporter was charged with voluntary manslaughter. State funding for the party was withdrawn the following month.
Golden Dawn, seen by many as neo-Nazis, won 7% of the vote in the 2012 Greek elections and took up 18 seats in parliament.
The party denies being a neo-Nazi movement although its logo resembles the swastika.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26276973
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Support for Golden Dawn fell sharply after a party supporter confessed to the fatal stabbing last year of Pavlos Fyssas, an anti-fascist rapper, following an argument in a bar. Yet it has since rebounded to about 10 per cent, according to recent opinion polls.
The revenge killing of two Golden Dawn members in a drive-by shooting outside a party office in suburban Athens, which was claimed by a leftwing extremist group, triggered a wave of sympathy.
Some analysts now predict that Golden Dawn could win 15-20 per cent of the vote in May’s European parliament elections – even challenging the centre-right New Democracy party of Antonis Samaras, the prime minister, for second place behind the far-left Syriza party, the main opposition.
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Based on its alleged criminal activity, it is widely expected that Golden Dawn will be banned from participating in that contest. Yet the party has already drawn up a contingency plan to ensure its survival: A new political party, National Dawn, was officially registered last month by 200 Greeks who are supporters but not members of Golden Dawn.
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