Golden Dawn is an extreme nationalist party in Greece that has risen to prominence in the last two years.
The party, with its anti-immigration rhetoric, provision of parallel social services, propensity for street violence, and, some say, Nazi-like logo has attracted attention the world over. It has frequently been linked to attacks on immigrants and leftists, and its politics are not only nationalistic and anti-immigrant, but markedly racist, anti-Muslim, anti-Turk, and anti-Semitic.
While it is very much a minority group, Golden Dawn's rise indicates a hardening of attitudes in Greece.
Founded in 1987, but with a prehistory dating back to 1980, Golden Dawn was an insignificant party until well after the economic crisis hit, polling just 1 percent of the vote in 2009.
But in 2012, it tapped into Greek resentment over the austerity demanded by Europe in exchange for two bailouts and boosted its support to 7 percent, earning it 21 seats in Greece's 300-seat parliament. (A subsequent election reduced its seats to 18.)
A recent opinion poll, taken prior to the arrests, put the party's support at 15 percent, though most Greek sources say that has dropped to around 7 percent since the crackdown.
