Athens ( CNN ) -- The leader of Greece 's extreme right wing Golden Dawn party and four party lawmakers were charged Sunday with forming and participating in a criminal gang . Nikos Michaloliakos and the other four -- all members of parliament -- left the Athens prosecutor 's office in handcuffs , escorted by counterterrorism officers in bullet proof vests and balaclavas . It is the first time since the restoration of democracy in 1974 , following a seven-year junta , that a party leader and members of parliament have been arrested . Michaloliakos ' arrests and those of the lawmakers -- Elias Kassidiaris , Elias Panagiotaros , Ioannis Lagos and Nikos Mihos -- are part of a crackdown following a controversial stabbing death . At least 10 more people have been arrested , including Golden Dawn party members , police said . More than 30 warrants were issued as police operations were launched across Greece Saturday . One more Golden Dawn lawmaker is still being sought , police said . 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 this month , as Fyssas ' death inflamed already growing concerns about the rising influence of Golden Dawn . The ultranationalist , anti-immigration party has been linked by critics 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 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 . The Greek constitution does not allow for political parties to be banned , however , and the arrested lawmakers will retain their parliamentary seats unless they are convicted of a crime . Golden Dawn holds 18 of Parliament 's 300 seats . Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos , whose socialist Pasok party is part of the governing coalition , said Golden Dawn `` must be dealt with as a criminal organization . '' 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 . Recent polls had seen support rise as high as 12 % . However , since Fyssas ' killing last week , opinion polls suggest that Golden Dawn 's popularity has dropped . A poll carried out from September 19 to 21 by Rass , for the Eleftheros Typos newspaper , indicated that support for Golden Dawn had fallen to 5.8 % , down from 8.3 % on September 15 . Back in 2009 , before the financial crisis and ensuing austerity measures hit Greeks hard , the party polled only 0.3 % .
Party leader Nikos Michaloliakos and others face charges of forming a criminal gang . The arrests are part of a crackdown following the stabbing death of a hip-hop artist . Kassidiaris has denied his party 's involvement in Fyssas ' death .