Germany bans neo-Nazi groups, raids their homes
People walk in front of a big wall draped with flags with Nazi symbols in Berlin’s Lustgarten in front of the Old Museum. A new study has found that 20 percent of Germans still harbor latent anti-Semitism.
Germany has taken the biggest strike in its history against neo-Nazis. More than 900 police officers raided about 150 properties where members of the neo-Nazi groups live.The raids came after North Rhine-Westphalia state interior minister Ralf Jaeger banned three neo-Nazi groups, The Local reported.
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In the raid, police seized propaganda material, computer hard drives and weapons.“These groups are anti-foreigner, they are racist and they are anti-Semitic,” Jaeger announced at a news conference, the Associated Press reported.
While no arrests were made, officials said they may be able to make arrests in the future based on the materials they seized. The decision to ban the groups came after officials linked far-right group to the killings of at least 10 immigrants, the New York Times reported.
Germany has been struggling with a renewed popularity in far-right ideology. A study published in January found that anti-Semitism is present in 20 percent of the German population.