Cnn news-Greece: Golden Dawn party leader and lawmaker arrested, police say

Athens (CNN) -- The leader of Greece's extreme right wing Golden Dawn party and a party lawmaker have been arrested on charges of forming a criminal gang, Athens police said Saturday.

The arrests of the leader, Nikos Michaloliakos, and lawmaker, Elias Kassidiaris, are part of a crackdown following a controversial stabbing death.


Pavlos Fyssas, a popular anti-fascist figure and well-known hip-hop artist with the stage name Killah P, was the victim of the knife attack that was allegedly committed by a Golden Dawn supporter.

Clashes broke out in a working-class Athens suburb last week, as Fyssas' death inflamed already growing concerns about the rising influence of Golden Dawn. The ultranationalist, anti-immigration party has been linked to street violence and neo-Nazism.

The violence came despite police raids of Golden Dawn offices and the arrest of a 45-year-old party supporter who police say admitted killing Pavlos Fyssas.

Kassidiaris last week denied his party's involvement in Fyssas' death, calling it a "heinous crime."

The singer's death has nevertheless led to renewed calls to ban Golden Dawn.

In 2012, the party rode a wave of dissatisfaction among some Greeks over internationally imposed austerity measures amid the country's deep financial crisis, winning 7% of the vote and gaining seats in parliament for the first time.

Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos, whose socialist Pasok party is part of the governing coalition, said last week that Golden Dawn "must be dealt with as a criminal organization."