Europe

Leaked video sparks row in Greece

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Greece is gripped by a new political row following the release of a video, in which a close aide to the Greek prime minister has allegedly said the government was behind a judicial clampdown on opposition figures.

The two and a half-minute video, secretly filmed by the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party MP Ilias Kasidiaris last autumn, revealed on Wednesday that Takis Baltakos, who is the closest aide to Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, was telling Kasidiaris that the Greek government instigated the judicial inquiry against the Golden Dawn party for political gain.

The high-ranking official of the Greek government allegedly said in the video that the PM is outraged with the ministers of Public Order and Justice who did not proceed with the imprisonment of all Golden Dawn members.

Greek political parties have requested an investigation into the incident. Court sources said a probe will now be launched to see whether the video was recorded without Baltakos’s consent.

Baltakos offered his resignation following the release of the video. Samaras also faced mounting calls from across the political spectrum for the government to step down.

“The prime minister cannot go on hiding,” said railed Alexis Tsipras, leader of the radical left main opposition party, Syriza.

The Greek government, however, has denied the accusations with Justice Minister Charalambos Athanasiou saying, “There was no political intervention by the judiciary.”

Golden Dawn rose from a fringe group to win nearly 7 percent of the vote in the 2012 general elections, and has seen its support rising to around 12 percent since then due to its widespread criticism of immigration and austerity reforms in the debt-stricken country.

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