Nikos Michaloliakos

A day before the criminal trial of Golden Dawn lawmakers and members is to resume, hooded youths barged into the office of a lawyer representing the leader of the neofascist party, Nikos Michaloliakos, and vandalized the premises.

The lawyer, Yiannis Pagoropoulos, was not at the office at the time.

The long-awaited trial of the leadership and MPs of the neofascist Golden Dawn and dozens of party supporters began on Monday in a special courtroom at Korydallos Prison, western Athens, but GD?s leaders were conspicuous by their absence, and the proceedings were adjourned until May 7.

Leaders of Greece?s third largest political party, the extreme right Golden Dawn, go on trial April 20 on charges of operating as a criminal organization that allegedly carried out a campaign of violence against immigrants and left-wing opponents.

The trial proceeding against 89 members of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn started Monday in Athens.

Party leaders have been accused of creating ''a criminal organization'', but they were not present in the court room as reported by AFP. Accusation to party members also included murder, racist violence and possession of weapons.

The trial of Golden Dawn?s leadership and members, which began on Monday morning in Athens, was adjourned until May 7 amid reports of attacks on witnesses.

Greece begins one of its most publicised trials in decades on April 20, with dozens of people linked to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party facing charges including murder and participation in a criminal organisation.

The trial of 69 Golden Dawn members, including party leader Nikos Michaloliakos and numerous MPs, is due to begin on Monday at a special courtroom in Korydallos Prison.

They have learned to live with over 2,000 prisoners on their doorstep, some of them notorious extremists and hardened killers.

But for those with homes and businesses situated beneath the high walls of the Korydallos prison, the country's leading correctional facility, hosting Greece's biggest trial in over a decade is too much.

Greek anti-racism groups on Thursday said they would offer daily coverage of the landmark trial of neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn this month to raise awareness of the group?s alleged crimes.

Entitled Golden Dawn Watch, the initiative will use accredited journalists and qualified lawyers to cover and provide analysis of the trial that opens on April 20.

As the Council of Appeals Court Judges on Friday ordered the release of Golden Dawn party chief Nikos Michaloliakos and MP and party secretary Yiannis Lagos, the anti-racism prosecutor launched a preliminary probe into whether the far-right party was inciting hatred by distributing leaflets calling for ?illegal migrants to get out? and advertising a gathering on the issue.