(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
The Greek parliament has voted to lift immunity from prosecution of six MPs from the far-right party, Golden Dawn.
The move came with the party leader and two other MPs already in prison, awaiting trial on charges of belonging to a criminal group.
Emma Papaemmanouel reports on the moves against the party, following the murder of an anti-fascist singer .
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Using slogans like: "Greece belongs to the Greeks" and "Blood - Honour-Golden Dawn" that made clear reference to racial purity, Golden Dawn entered the Greek parliament during the elections in June 2012.
Raising half a million votes, about seven per cent of the total, Golden Dawn managed to elect 18 MPs in the 300-seat parliament.
Greek journalist Nikos Hasapopoulos has been tracking the history of Golden Dawn for the past 20 years.
He describes the party as a neo-Nazi criminal gang that took advantage of anger over government austerity measures introduced to deal with the Greek debt crisis.
(through translation): "They tried to hide their tough fascist, Nazi and criminal face and appeared like nationalists. They managed to fool the Greek voters, and they were not a few, they were half a million voters, in order to enter the parliament and abolish democracy."
Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos has publicly denied that the Holocaust took place, and the party's banner features a swastika-like emblem.
But Golden Dawn MP Ilias Panagiotaros dismisses the neo-Nazi description.
(Through translation): "We have the right to self-define ourselves. We declare that we are Greek nationalists and we are proud of that. All the rest about neo-Nazism we leave them to others that throw accusations on us, in Greece, there are even many neo-Nazis that are actually against Golden Dawn."
The actual spark that lit a fire in the Greek political system was the murder in mid-September of hip-hop singer Pavlos Fissas, known as Killah P, who was stabbed to death in a street fight by a Golden Dawn supporter.
This incident led the authorities to unleash a major operation against Golden Dawn, resulting in the arrest and imprisonment of Nikos Michaloliakos and two other MPs.
They are accused of forming a criminal organization - and if convicted, could face at least 10 years in prison.
Three other Golden Dawn MPs who have also lost their immunity face lesser charges.
It's the first such action against a political party since the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974.
Golden Dawn MP Ilias Panagiotaros claims the death of Pavlos Fyssas was random and unfortunate, not an organised crime.
He says the accusations against Golden Dawn are politically-motivated.
(Through translation): "This prosecution is entirely political, ordered by foreign forces and highly irrational. To have it imposed on a political party elected by 500 thousand people and right now in the polls appear as the third power with over a million supporters, is highly irrational. Not to mention that the leader of the party is accused of actions and acts that neither him nor us had anything to do with."
Despite the operation against Golden Dawn, it remains the third most popular political party in Greece, and still rates highly in opinion polls.
But Golden Dawn is not only blamed for the death of the singer Pavlos Fissas.
It is also accused of forming paramilitary groups, regularly attacking illegal migrants and other illegal activity involving protection rackets and guns.
The party is said to have tentacles stretching deep inside the Greek police and military forces.
Journalist Nikos Hasapopoulos says he'd like to see the dusk of the Golden Dawn in the Greek political system.
But he believes the only way to get the Golden Dawn MPs out of the parliament is the same way they got in.
(Through translation): "They can't be eliminated by making them outlaws or by locking them for many years in jail. There is only one way: like they entered the parliament they have to exit. And that needs work. The voters have to be convinced to turn their back on them, to understand what they really are in order not ever vote for them again".
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