LEADERS of Greece’s neonazi Golden Dawn party went on trial yesterday on charges of operating as a criminal organisation and carrying out a campaign of violence against immigrants and left-wing opponents.

Party leader Nikos Michaloliakos and senior officials are among 69 defendants in the trial, which is expected to last more than a year.

The trial is being held inside Korydallos maximum-security prison near Athens, where nearby schools and municipal services were closed.

The hearing was adjourned until May 7 to allow one of the defendants to receive court-appointed representation.

Police cordoned off streets around the jail, about six miles west of the capital, while several anti-Golden Dawn rallies remained peaceful.

The Golden Dawn leader and 12 other members of parliament face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of the charges against them.

Greek authorities do not keep official records on racist violence, but human rights groups say that there has been a surge in the number of attacks.