Brussels, 30/09/20013 (Agence Europe) - On Saturday 28 September, Greek police arrested the founder and leader of the neo-nazi Golden Dawn party, Nikos Michaloliakis, six of his party's MPs and some 15 party members as part of an operation to bring an end to the actions and abuses of this party now seen as a criminal organisation.
Having been involved many times in racial discrimination against migrants, the party again hit the headlines a couple of weeks ago when it was blamed for the murder of a young Greek anti-fascist activist. This latest crime caused great consternation among European leaders and caused the Greek government to take action. Greece is due to take over the rotating Presidency of the European Council of Ministers on 1 January. Accused among other things of having a paramilitary militia and activists charged with attacks on migrants, the party was not officially banned. The legal fate of the Golden Dawn members arrested at the weekend will be known on Tuesday. By-elections are a possibility following the removal of these 18 extreme right MPs even though Greek media are reporting that the government will consider having a working parliament with a reduced number of members. The European Commission has said that it is following developments very closely and has expressed its confidence in the Greek justice system which, it says, will do all that it has to within the confines of the law. S&D leader in the European Parliament Hannes Swoboda welcomed the action taken by the Greek authorities, expressing, nonetheless, the hope that it had a firm legal basis. (SP/transl.fl)