ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The head of Greece's extreme far-right Golden Dawn party was testifying in court on Wednesday as part of a long-running trial over the party's activities in which he and several former party lawmakers are accused of running a criminal organization.

Nikos Michaloliakos is the last of 69 defendants, including 18 former lawmakers, to take the stand in the marathon trial that began in April 2015, sparked by the 2013 killing of Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas for which a party volunteer was arrested. Michaloliakos is accused of forming a criminal organization and violating gun laws.

He denies all charges, and says they are part of a political conspiracy to destroy his party. He points out this is the first time a party leader has been held responsible for the actions of a party supporter. He and several of his lawmakers were arrested and spent 18 months in jail — the maximum allowed for pre-trial detention — after Fyssas' killing.

Security was tight at the courthouse, where about 100 Golden Dawn supporters were inside and a few hundred anti-fascist demonstrators were protesting outside.

Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn rose to prominence during Greece's crushing financial crisis, evolving from a fringe group to become the country's third largest parliamentary party in 2014 elections, campaigning on a nationalist, anti-immigrant platform. Party members and supporters have been accused of violent attacks against migrants, including stabbings, beatings and arson.

The party's popularity began to wane in the past couple of years as the trial dragged on, and Golden Dawn failed to win enough votes to enter parliament in general elections held in July this year.