Skip to main content

Greece crackdown: Golden Dawn leader Michaloliakos charged


The leader of the far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, has been formally charged with belonging to a criminal organisation.
Four more Golden Dawn MPs, a party leader in an Athens suburb and 15 other people face the same charges.
They were arrested on Saturday amid anger over the murder on 18 September of anti-racist musician, Pavlos Fyssas.
A man held for the stabbing told police he was a Golden Dawn supporter, though the party strongly denies any link.
The MPs arrested on Saturday were party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, Ilias Panayiotaros, Nikos Michos and Ioannis Lagos. It is the first time since 1974 that a party leader and MPs have been arrested.
It was an extraordinary moment to see the five MPs being escorted in handcuffs by armed police in balaclavas, BBC Athens correspondent Mark Lowen reports.
They will now return to police headquarters and are likely to be refused bail before their trial, our correspondent says.
Mr Panayiotaros told reporters before giving himself up: "Shame on them, the people will lift Golden Dawn higher."
A number of other warrants are believed to have been issued. The arrests were made by the anti-terrorism unit.
Police said guns and ammunition had been found at Mr Michaloliakos's home and that he did not have a licence for the weapons.
Golden Dawn issued a rallying call via a text message, saying: "We call upon everyone to support our moral and just struggle against the corrupt system!"
Its call for members to gather outside the police headquarters in Athens was answered by some 200 supporters who chanted slogans and waved Greek flags.
Makis Voridis, a politician with the governing New Democracy Party, told the BBC's Newshour that the police had made the right decision on the arrests.
He said: "This is an alleged party. It is actually, as the justice system has said, a criminal organisation... members of a legal, political, parliamentary party, do not participate in homicides."

Popular posts from this blog

AmazinG KnittinG Art

Tiger Woods would be 'terrific': US Prez Obama

US President Barack Obama hopes to see Tiger Woods in terrific form when the embattled golf champion returns to the course in next month's Augusta Masters after details of his multiple extra-marital affairs exploded in public last year. "You know, I think that Tiger has acknowledged that he betrayed his family and that's a personal issue that he has got to work out," said Obama who is an avid lover of the game. "I hope they have worked it out, I'm sure he is going to still be a terrific golfer," Obama told FOX news. Woods has not played for the past five months following the sex scandal that has received worldwide attention as several of the golfer's mistresses came forward with lurid details about his infidelity. The cat was out of the bag after his wife Elin found out about his affair with, Rachel Uchitel, a New York party planner, which led to an argument and accident on November 27 when Woods crashed his SUV outside his Florida mansion sustaining...

Padmavati Creations Supplier, Distributor

 Padmavati Creations Supplier, Distributor, Trader & Importer of a wide range of Jewellery, Precious Stones & Semi Precious Stones. Owing to the attractive patterns and impeccable finish www.padmavaticreation.blogspot.in www.padmavaticreations.net Contact Details Padmavati Creations Mr. Manish Nahar (Manager) No. 108, Silver Square, C - 18, Bhagwan Das Road, Near Rajmandir, C- Scheme Jaipur - 302016, Rajasthan, India Call Us: 08377804323 Mobile:   +(91)-8003703237   +(91)-9782830190 Telephone:   +(91)-(141)-4021237