COLMAR (AFP-EJP)---The trial of the three alleged authors of the desecration of the Jewish cemetery of Herrlisheim, in eastern France, where 117 tombstones had been daubed with neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic slogans in 2004, opened Monday at a criminal court in Colmar.

The three accused, Emmanuel Rist, 37, Laurent Baker, 27, and Laurent Peterschmitt, 28, entered the courthouse and remained impassive.

Emmanuel Rist, a 37-year-old former security guard, is considered as a neo-Nazi and mastermind of the attack. Rist allegedly told police during questioning that he chose the Herrlisheim cemetery because of the letter "H" which evoked Hitler and to celebrate the anniversary of his death of April 30 1945, according to prosecutors.

They went on trial for the desecration of the Jewish cemetery of Herrlisheim, near Colmar, in the Alsace, where swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans had been discovered on 30 April 2004 on 117 of 400 tombstones.

Swastikas, Celtic crosses and Nazi inscriptions were found on the graves while a plaque at the entrance of the cemetery bearing a Jewish prayer had been defaced with the writing "Juden raus" (Jews Out).

The desecration of the graves -- the first in a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the eastern Alsace region in 2004 -- drew swift condemnation from French political leaders and many had visited Herrlisheim to underscore their concern.

The three men, who have admitted to the attack, are charged with desecrating graves, damage to property and inciting hatred. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to three years in jail.

However, uncertainties remain on the role of each of them.

Graffiti reading 'Jews out' and depicting a swastika were painted at the entrance of the Jewish cemetery in Herrlisheim, eastern France.

Considered as the mastermind of the cemetery desecration, Emmanuel Rist appears also along with Laurent Baker for the deterioration in October 2004 of a Muslim plaque in the military cemetery of Wattwiller.

He must also answer numerous racist inscriptions on various artworks.

Condemned in November 2006 for sending anti-Semitic mails, Rist Ifaces also charges for the murder and attempted murder of two Moroccan men in 2001 and 2005, also in the Alsace region.

On the first day of the trial, Peterschmitt testified that he befriended Rist who was his co-worker at a security firm and described how he "could talk for hours" about the Third Reich.

Peterschmitt said Rist had hung a painting of Hitler in his apartment after the attack on the Herrlisheim cemetery.

The trial is expected to last until next Wednesday.