Fifty-six people went on trial in Madrid today on Eta-related charges.
The charges levelled are directing the logistical side of the Basque separatist group's battle for an independent homeland, raising funds, forging passports and helping commandos communicate with one another.
Defendants sit in a special high-security courtroom on the outskirts of Madrid today
The trial is the largest ever in terms of the number of defendants to go before the National Court, the Spanish tribunal that deals with affairs of state and terrorism cases.
Spain, the European Union and the United States classify Eta as a terrorist organisation.
The case stems from an eight-year investigation by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's leading anti-terror investigator.
Some of the defendants defiantly showed an unofficial Basque identity card instead of the official Spanish one as they entered the court. Most wore grey T-shirts that read in Basque "For civil and political rights" and the number of the case file - 18/98 - crossed out.
The trial, which is to hear testimony from more than 300 people, is being held under tight security at a trade fair pavilion.