Police in Greece arrested the leaders of an extreme right-wing political party this morning on charges of forming a criminal organization.
The leader of Golden Dawn, Nikos Michaloliakos, was among the 16 people arrested, along with party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris.
Supporters of the extreme far-right Golden Dawn party shout slogans during a protest in solidarity of the arrested legislators in front of police headquarters in Athens on Saturday. (Kostas Tsironis/Associated Press)
Police officials say an operation by the counterterrorism unit was still ongoing late on Saturday morning, with a total of about 35 arrest warrants for Golden Dawn members issued.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly.
It is the first time since 1974 that a party head and sitting members of parliament have been arrested.
Despite the arrests, the party's legislators retain their parliamentary seats unless they are convicted of a crime.
Golden Dawn holds 18 of parliament's 300 seats, after winning nearly seven per cent of the vote in general elections last year.
The arrests came 11 days after the killing of a left-wing activist rapper by an alleged Golden Dawn member.
Though the party has vehemently denied any role in the killing, it has appeared to dent its appeal among Greeks and the government has worked to crack down on the party.
Golden Dawn expressed outrage at the arrests in a text message to journalists and called on supporters to head to police headquarters.
A formerly marginal organization with neo-Nazi roots, Golden Dawn entered the Greek parliament for the first time in May 2012, capitalizing on Greece's deep financial crisis, rising crime and anti-immigrant sentiment.
The party's members and supporters have frequently been suspected of carrying out violent attacks, mainly against immigrants. On Sept. 17, anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas was stabbed to death in Athens, allegedly by a Golden Dawn supporter. The incident sparked protests across the country.
Despite its reputation for violence, the party had enjoyed growing popularity.
A government spokesman refused to comment on the details of the operation.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Greece far-right party leaders arrested
Dengan url
http://topstorinfo.blogspot.com/2013/09/greece-far-right-party-leaders-arrested.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Greece far-right party leaders arrested
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Greece far-right party leaders arrested
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar