Germany Bans Neo-Nazi Group With U.S. Roots, Raids Member Homes

German authorities on Tuesday banned a neo-Nazi group with roots in the United States and raided the homes of 28 members nationwide after an
investigation lasting more than a year in cooperation with U.S. officials.
“Hammerskins Deutschland” is an offshoot of “Hammerskins Nation”, a U.S. neo-Nazi organization founded in 1988 that considers itself the elite of the extreme right-wing skinhead scene and totals around 130 members in Germany, the interior ministry wrote in a news release.
“With this ban, we are ending in Germany the inhumane actions of a neo-Nazi group with international reach,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser was quoted as saying. “With this, we are sending a clear signal against racism and antisemitism.”
The ban comes amid a rise in far-right extremism in Germany and growing support for the nationalist, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party which is currently polling at 21-22%, putting it in second place behind the centre-right Conservatives (CDU/CSU) and ahead of all the ruling parties in
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left coalition.