Rally in Athens against Greece's Golden Dawn

Protesters rallied in memory of murdered Pakistani immigrant Shehzad Luqman

Some 3,000 people have taken part in a demonstration in the Greek capital Athens to protest against the rise of the neo-fascist party Golden Dawn.

The protest, which brought together Greeks and immigrants, was part of a day of anti-racism events.

Golden Dawn, exploiting public anger over the financial crisis, won 18 seats in parliament last June.

One of the most right-wing parties in Europe, it is accused of anti-immigrant attacks, but denies violent activity.

The coffin of a Pakistani immigrant murdered by suspected right-wing extremists was also put on display.

Shehzad Luqman, 27, was stabbed to death by two men who had been riding a motorcycle as he rode his bicycle to work in the Athens neighbourhood of Petralona in the early hours of Wednesday.

More than 80% of immigrants to the European Union enter via Greece.

Fear of the outsider

This was a day designed to show the other side of Greece, drowning out the racism of the minority, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens.

Golden Dawn made headlines after winning seats in parliament this summer

Greek hospitality is well-known - but the financial crisis is changing the nation with elements lurching to the right and fearing both the future and the outsider, adds our correspondent.

Away from Athens, campaigners used a more artistic means of spreading the word: a children's play with a social message was staged, telling the story of a Greek family that meets Iranians and a Pakistani on holiday, and of initial fears subsiding as the group learns to live together.

The play's director, Vassilis Koukalani, told the BBC: "The play is about prejudice, about racism, about xenophobia and it shows how we can overcome these things with common sense, with a sense of humour, with a sense of justice above all."