(ATHENS, Greece) — The head of Greece's extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party was testifying Wednesday on charges of running a criminal organization as part of an investigation into his party triggered by the killing of a left-wing rapper. Nikos Michaloliakos was led into a central Athens courthouse wearing handcuffs. More than 100 supporters waved Greek flags and chanted "Blood, Honor, Golden Dawn." Michaloliakos' testimony was expected to last several hours. Earlier, the investigating magistrates ordered the release of three party lawmakers in a marathon court session. A fourth lawmaker, Yiannis Lagos, was jailed pending trial. All have denied the charges against them. The government, which has vowed to eradicate Golden Dawn, insisted the case against the Nazi-inspired party was still on track despite the releases. "This essentially changes nothing. Their charges stand, the investigation is ongoing and the evidence is being gathered," Interior Minister Yiannis Michelakis said on Skai television. "We are at the first stage of this investigation." Golden Dawn, which the government has described as a "Nazi creation," rose from the margins of Greece's political scene to become the third most popular party in Greece amid the country's severe financial crisis. It has long been blamed for a series of violent attacks, mostly against immigrants. The party denies it is behind any violent attacks. Party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris was released on 50,000-euro ($67,770) bail. No bail was set for the other two lawmakers, Ilias Panagiotaros and Nikos Michos. All three were banned from leaving the country. They stormed out of the court building, with Kasidiaris punching a television cameraman and kicking a photographer as he went. They swore at and threatened journalists as they headed out of the court complex, and later as they left police headquarters after collecting their personal belongings. "There's political motivation hidden behind this," Kasidiaris' lawyer Pavlos Sarakis said of the case against his client. Sarakis was expelled from Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' New Democracy party after he took the case to defend the Golden Dawn spokesman. "It is clear that the judiciary has(http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&blog=19871253&post=107260&subd=timeglobalspin&ref=&feed=1)
Source: Greece: Head of Far-Right Party Appears in Court (http://world.time.com/2013/10/02/greece-head-of-far-right-party-appears-in-court/)