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Three right-wing lawmakers in Athens were released from custody this week pending trial, in a move that raised concerns that Greece鈥檚 crackdown on the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party could backfire.

Some 35 people associated with the political party Golden Dawn, which gained 18 MPs in parliament last spring, were arrested on Saturday in a crackdown sparked by the stabbing murder of an anti-racism rapper last month.

"This government is determined not to allow the heirs of the Nazis to poison our social life, to commit crimes, to terrorize and to undermine the foundations of the country that gave birth to democracy," Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said in a brief televised address after the death of rapper Pavlos Fyssas.

A man arrested at the scene of the murder identified himself as a supporter of Golden Dawn, though the party has denied any involvement.

After more than 17 hours of testimony, three Golden Dawn politicians were released yesterday, while a fourth was kept in custody due to evidence linking him to murder, attempted murder, blackmail, and other criminal activity, reports The New York Times. Party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, who is known for attacking a woman during a live TV debate after she disagreed with him and denouncing former聽Prime Minister George Papandreou as being "only 25 percent Greek," was one of the three politicians released. He hit and shoved journalists on his way out of court, multiple media outlets report.

The government arrested party leader Nikolaos Mihaloliakos this morning after six hours of testimony lasted late into the night. When he was first brought into court, an estimated 200 party supporters waved Greek flags and yelled, 鈥渂lood, honor, Golden Dawn,鈥� reports Reuters.

It is illegal to ban political groups in Greece, so the government is instead trying to prove the party鈥檚 criminal ties.聽

Agence France-Presse describes the history of the party, which is some three decades old but only gained a presence in parliament in elections last year. Golden Dawn capitalized on Greek unhappiness with government leadership amid the sovereign debt crisis, austerity, and anti-immigration sentiments.

This is the first crackdown on elected officials in Greece in almost five decades, reports the Associated Press.

The release of some party members has worried observers who question how well planned the government crackdown on Golden Dawn has been. Party supporters say the cases against Golden Dawn sympathizers and members are based mainly on illegal wiretaps. The New York Times reports:

鈥淚t is clear that the judiciary has refused to follow the orders of a government enslaved to foreigners,鈥� Golden Dawn said in an online statement after the decision to free three of the lawmakers. 鈥淭he unconstitutional, blatantly illegal government conspiracy is collapsing under the huge weight of truth and common sense.鈥�

The latest polls in Greece show that Golden Dawn has lost support since the murder of Mr. Fyssas, reports the Associated Press. This past week, between 6 and 7 percent of voters said they would vote for the party today, down from 8 to 12 percent before, reports The Wall Street Journal.

鈥淚s this the end of Golden Dawn, or is it really just the beginning?鈥� Eleni Batziopoulou, a philosophy student in Keratsini, Greece asked The New York Times. 鈥淚 want to believe it鈥檚 the end, because I want to have hope in the future. But if it鈥檚 not, then it鈥檚 the start of a wave of trouble.鈥�

Charges against Golden Dawn party members and supporters include some cases that have been in limbo for years, and include murder, money laundering, and extortion charges, reports the Times. Some question how these cases went without judicial attention for so long. Raids have been conducted this week on homes and offices of police officers with suspected ties to the party, reports the Associated Press.

鈥淚t is obvious that there was an inertia toward Golden Dawn by the state and other authorities until now,鈥� Mr. Katrougalos told the Times.