NEWS

Parliament lifts immunity of Golden Dawn MP

Greece’s Parliament on Tuesday voted to lift the immunity from prosecution of Ilias Kasidiaris, an MP and spokesman for far-right Golden Dawn, currently on trial for constituting a criminal organization.

Kasidiaris, who is one of the defendants in the ongoing trial, may also now face prosecution on charges of inciting criminal acts.

The charges date to a speech he gave in May 2011 in the rundown town of Aspropyrgos in western Attica, where he encourages locals to “get rid of the human garbage,” referring to migrants.

“If you want to de-stink the area you have to become a fist and put up a fight,” Kasidiaris allegedly told said at a pre-election rally.

“Get rid of the human garbage that has robbed, murdered and committed crimes,” he added. “There is no state, no police, no justice, no one to cover you, so get out into the streets.”

Of the House’s 300 MPs, 190 voted in favor of lifting Kasidiaris’s immunity, 18 voted against it and 22 voted “present.”

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