ATHENS — Only a guilty verdict for Golden Dawn on October 7 will serve as a vindication, main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras said in an interview with the newspaper "Efimerida ton Syntakton" published on Saturday, ahead of the announcement of the verdict in the Golden Dawn trial on Wednesday.

He stressed that "the nazi criminals that for years plunged our neighbourhoods in terror and blood" must end up behind bars. "Golden Dawn are no longer in parliament and after the conclusion of the trial, the members of this criminal gang must go to prison," he said, noting that the end of the trial was a historic moment for Greek democracy.

The main opposition leader referred to the debt owed to those who daily fought the battle for justice and to "reveal the monster", including the mother of the slain rapper Pavlos Fyssas, Magda Fyssa.

"The fight, however, does not end here. Hatred, xenophobia, racism and violence toward the weak are constant and real dangers for Greek society. Unfortunately, when the official policy of the state flirts openly with such beliefs or, even worse, adopts them, then democracy is in danger," he added.

"The nazi murderers must face the consequences of their actions but we must daily deal with the causes that nurtured them," he added, saying that hatred, racism and fear must not be allowed to work silently and become a foundation on which political opportunists "base their agenda" for increasing their "clientele".