German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned a far-right association called “Hammerskins Deutschland,” noting that the ban was a strong blow to right-wing extremism and racism.
The German government recently announced an increase in the frequency of politically motivated attacks on shelters for asylum seekers in the first half of this year compared to last year.
On Tuesday, September 19, the Interior Ministry in Berlin announced the ban on the regional branches of the association and its subsidiary organization “Crew 38.”
According to ministry data, police forces searched the homes of 28 suspected members of the association in ten German states.
The states included in the campaign are Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and Thuringia, according to the “Amal, Berlin!” website.
The justification for the ban decision stated that the group adopts trends that are against the constitutional system and the idea of understanding between peoples, and that the purpose of the association and its activities are in conflict with criminal laws.
The ministry’s statement indicated that the association also seeks, through its concerts, to influence even non-members with extremist right-wing ideas. According to the ministry, authorities at the federal and state levels cooperated over the course of a year to prepare for the ban, and there was also cooperation with partner authorities from the United States.
It should be noted that this association is a branch of an association in the United States and has been present in Germany since the early 1990s.
The German authorities have banned a number of far-right circles in recent years, such as “Kombat 18” and “Nordadler”.
According to the Ministry of Interior, this is the twentieth ban imposed by the ministry on an extremist right-wing association.
Interior Minister Faeser said the ban represents a strong blow against organized right-wing extremism, adding that this sends a clear signal against racism and antisemitism.
The spokeswoman for refugee policy in the Left Party bloc, Clara Bünger, said earlier: “It is worrying that those who come to us seeking protection are often subjected to violence, hostility and exclusion.”
