Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has appeared before thousands of supporters to declare his innocence after he was sentenced for tax fraud.
The protesters gathered outside his home in Rome, celebrating the billionaire media mogul as a "martyr of freedom" and demanding an end to what they called politically motivated legal cases.
A high court decision on Thursday upheld a one-year prison sentence for Berlusconi on charges of fraudulent offshore accounting by his media firm, Mediaset.
The decision prompted members of Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom party to threaten to quit the coalition government.
Berlusconi said he continued to support the government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta and it must continue to carry out economic reforms.
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Italy, the eurozone's third-largest economy, is in the midst of a lengthy recession, which has provoked the implementation of austerity measures.
Berlusconi, 76, tearfully called himself a victim of the judicial system but added, "I'm here. I'm staying here. I do not give up."
Because of his age, Berlusconi's sentence is to be served through house arrest or community service. It could also see him lose his parliamentary seat.
The court ruled for a further judicial review on whether Berlusconi would be banned from politics for five years.
