The European Parliament upheld the parliamentary immunity of Italian MEP Ilaria Salis, who is accused of involvement in an attack on far-right militants in Hungary, by one vote on Tuesday. In a secret ballot, 306 of Salis's colleagues voted in favour of her maintaining her immunity, while 305 voted against. Budapest had requested that Green-Left Alliance (AVS) MEP Salis be stripped of her immunity so she could be tried for allegedly being part of a German-led 'hammer gang' that allegedly attacked neo-Nazis in the Hungarian capital. Salis was released from house arrest in Hungary, where she was on trial for alleged involvement in the assault on far-right demonstrators in February 2023, after being elected as a member of the European Parliament for AVS in June 2024. The allegedly inhumane detention conditions Salis was subjected to during a 16-month spell in a Hungarian jail provoked protests from Italy. During her trial she was also led into court on a chain with her ankles and wrists cuffed, a procedure Hungary says is standard, but which caused widespread shock and indignation here. "This vote is a victory for democracy, the rule of law, and anti-fascism," Salis said in a statement. "This decision shows that resistance works. It shows that when elected representatives, activists, and citizens stand together for democratic values, authoritarian forces can be confronted and defeated. "The fight is far from over. Threats remain, and continuing the fight is essential. "All anti-fascist activists targeted for challenging authoritarianism and fascist forces must be protected". The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) had last month voted to reject a petition from Hungary to strip Salis of her parliamentary immunity, but the final word lay with the floor of the parliament. Before Tuesday's vote, Manfred Weber, the president of the European People's Party (EPP), had said the centre-right group would vote against maintaining Salis's immunity on the grounds that the alleged crime was committed before her term. Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing League party expressed outrage at the outcome of the vote, especially the fact it was made possible some centre-right lawmakers bucking the line of their groups. "She was charged with aggravated assault with a potential lethal outcome and other criminal conduct, in conjunction with others, within a criminal organization," Salvini said via social media. "But with the trick of a secret ballot, requested by left-wing groups, even some so-called "center-right" lamwakers voted to save Ms. Salis from trial. Shameful!".