The Greek Parliament is voting on whether to lift the immunity from prosecution of six lawmakers from the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn, as part of a crackdown into the party sparked by the fatal stabbing last month of a Greek rapper.
Golden Dawn lawmakers walked out of parliament ahead of Wednesday’s vote. The motion is expected to pass.
The government argues the party operates as a criminal organization. Three of the party’s top members, including its leader, have been jailed pending trial on charges of running or participating in a criminal group.
With Greece plunged into a financial depression, Golden Dawn rose from a fringe group to win 18 of Parliament’s 300 seats in 2012 elections, despite widespread accusations it organizes attacks on immigrants, political opponents and gays.
