Two far-right activists stood trial in Paris on Monday over the 2022 killing of Argentine rugby international Federico Martin Aramburu after a late-night argument turned violent. Read moreFormer Pumas star Aramburu shot and killed in Paris Aramburu, 42, was with another player sitting at a brasserie in Paris in the early hours of March 19, 2022 when they argued with Loik Le Priol and Romain Bouvier. After the sportsmen left, the two accused are suspected of having fired several shots at Aramburu, who died of his wounds. Le Priol, 32, and Bouvier, 35, have been charged with murder and attempted murder respectively in the trial expected to last several weeks, and risk up to life in jail if they are found guilty. Both defendants, former members of the now-dissolved far-right movement GUD, denied intending to kill Aramburu when they addressed the court on Monday. "I am responsible for the death of Federico Martin Aramburu. I have always maintained that I fired in self-defence," said Le Priol, a former commando who is suspected of firing the fatal shots. "It will be up to the Assize Court to decide whether this defence was legitimate or not," he added. Bouvier, who has pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon, said he had not meant to harm Aramburu. "I didn't want to injure him. I didn't even want to touch him," said the former law student, who fired four shots. The two accused, one wearing a blue shirt and the other a polo shirt, avoided eye contact with the rugby player's relatives as they entered the dock, an AFP journalist saw. Sitting two metres apart, they also did not acknowledge or speak to each other. Aramburu's widow Maria, who is raising their three children in southeastern France, wiped away tears during Monday's proceedings, as supporters in the front row wore red scarves bearing the Argentine flag and the number 13 he often sported on the pitch. A verdict is expected on September 25. 'Justice for Fede' The trial has prompted calls for justice in Aramburu's native Argentina, where he played for the national team, with members of the Pumas wearing black T-shirts bearing the words "Justice for Fede" ahead of a match on Saturday. Former friends and teammates have remembered Aramburu as "always smiling" and a "true friend", while his loved ones have urged against any attempt to minimise his death. A campaign backed by his family, friends and the Argentine rugby community aims to ensure "society remembers what is about to be tried: the murder of a 42-year-old man, father of three children, whose life was snatched away". The killing was "marked by violence, hatred and extremist intolerance", they said. The Argentine Rugby Union expressed "its support for the call for justice". 'I'm going to kill him' Aramburu had been living in the southwestern French town of Biarritz after retiring. He played club rugby for Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax in France, as well as for the Glasgow Warriors. He earned 22 caps for Argentina from 2004 to 2009. Le Priol and Bouvier were at the time of the killing already under investigation over the 2015 beating of a former GUD official. A court in 2022 sentenced them to two and three years in jail over the incident. According to the investigation, tensions soared at the restaurant after Aramburu's friend, fellow rugby player Shaun Hegarty, criticised Le Priol for the way he snapped at another customer. Le Priol tapped him on the head. As the rugby players left, Aramburu grabbed him by the hood, slamming him to the ground. The ensuing exchange of blows left Le Priol with a few broken teeth, as the rugby players fled the scene. Witnesses reported hearing Le Priol say, "I'm going to kill him" and "We'll find them". After catching up with them in the vehicle of Le Priol's then-girlfriend, Bouvier shot at Aramburu before escaping. Le Priol then turned up on foot, firing again at the Argentine and killing him. He was arrested several days after the killing at the Hungary-Ukraine border, where he told police he was "going to Ukraine to fight" following Russia's full-scale invasion. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)