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After a trial that lasted more than five years, members of the fascist group were found guilty of various crimes, including murder.
The Golden Dawn group, a self-proclaimed fascist entity with its origins in the 1980s, has been found guilty of various crimes by an Athens court, including running a criminal organization.
A three-judge panel of an appeals court in the Greek capital delivered its verdicts on Wednesday, the conclusion of a five-and-a-half-year trial.
More than 10,000 anti-racist protesters outside the courthouse celebrated when the verdict was announced. But police were quick to tear gas and water cannons against the crowd.
Petros Konstantinou, who runs Keefra, an anti-racist organization, told Al Jazeera: “This is a great anti-fascist victory. I think we won. Everyone should go to jail immediately. “
A total of 68 had been tried, including all of the Golden Dawn leaders, charged with four crimes.
Reading the verdict, Presiding Judge Maria Lepenioti said that Golden Dawn founder and leader Nikos Michaloliakos and other high-ranking members were guilty of running a criminal organization.
None of the senior members of the party were present in court.
Michaloliakos and his high-ranking colleagues face jail sentences of five to 15 years.
In addition to running a criminal organization, another case involved Golden Dawn supporter Giorgos Roupakias, who confessed to murdering anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyass, or “Killah P,” stabbing the 34-year-old to death just after midnight on the 18th. of September. 2013, in Athens. Roupakias was found guilty and faces life in prison.
Members of Golden Dawn were also found guilty of attacking communist trade unionists and their leader Sotiris Poulikogiannis the same month and in the attempted murder of Egyptian immigrant fisherman Abouzid Embarak at his home in June 2012.
With reports from Katy Fallon in Athens.
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