Budapest - While the Hungarian government welcomed a Tuesday court ruling that a controversial far-right nationalist paramilitary group must disband, the organization itself vowed to continue.

The Hungarian Democratic Charter, a group set up this year on the initiative of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany in reaction to the rising profile of the extreme right and frequent violent demonstrations, said in a statement that it was "relieved" by the verdict against the Hungarian Guard.

"The verdict strengthens our resolve that in the future we must continue to stand up against exclusion and the threat of violence," said the group.

Other reaction was more measured.

"The symbolic effect of the disbanding of the Hungarian Guard is far greater than its concrete significance," said the leader of the governing Hungarian Socialist Party's parliamentary caucus, Ildiko Lendvai, on Wednesday.

However, the controversial, uniformed nationalist group has made it clear that it has no intention of melting away. Hungarian Guard president Gabor Vona said the group intends to appeal the verdict.

In a statement issued after the ruling, the leaders of the Hungarian Guard called into question the legal basis of the court's verdict, which it described as "subjective".

The leaders of the nationalist organisation said the judge's summing up had confirmed their suspicions that the prosecution and the court had been acting under political pressure.

In any event, the ruling by the court of first instance applies only to the official registered Hungarian Guard Cultural and Traditional Association. The group's leaders quickly drew a distinction between that body and the "Hungarian Guard Movement" as a whole.

Movements, they claim, are not subject to the same legal restrictions as associations.

In an interview published on a far-right website, Vona said the group will continue its activities, either as a new association or in a different form. He added that he expects a wave of new volunteers in the wake of the court ruling.

The Budapest Municipal Court ruled on Tuesday that the Hungarian Guard had violated the right to dignity of the local Roma community when it held a rally in the village of Tatarszentgyorgy, some 30 kilometres from the capital Budapest. In December 2007, members of the group marched through the village and gathered to listen to speeches calling for action against "Gypsy crime".

The judge noted that public figures, among them President Laszlo Solyom, had condemned the group's actions at the time. He added that the idea that the Hungarian Guard is there to maintain law and order must not be allowed to form in the public consciousness.

As well as being president and founding member of the Hungarian Guard, Vona is also president of the radical nationalist Jobbik Movement for a Better Hungary, which hopes to gain a seat at the European Parliament in next year's election.

The Hungarian Guard held its inaugural swearing in ceremony in August 2007. Since then, its membership has swelled to several thousand. It has held numerous demonstrations as part of a campaign against "Gypsy crime" and its uniformed members have become a regular sight at anti-government and nationalist demonstrations. (dpa)