The far-right group Artgemeinschaft has been outlawed in Germany for promoting Nazi ideology among children and teenagers.
The group was labeled “deeply racist and antisemitic” by the nation’s interior minister, who also said that it was attempting to “raise new enemies of the constitution.”
To disseminate its beliefs, Artgemeinschaft made use of Nazi-era literature and cultural gatherings.
In 12 German states, police have searched hundreds of residences and businesses connected to the gang.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser remarked, “This is another hard blow against right-wing extremism and against the intellectual arsonists who continue to spread Nazi ideologies to this day.”
According to the interior ministry, the term “racial community” or “Artgemeinschaft” roughly equates to about 150 people.
According to the government, the organization was advising its members to choose partners with a North or Central European origin in order to uphold their “racial preservation” concept.
The group also routinely hosted cultural events that attracted up to several hundred people and managed an online bookstore. It identified itself as “the largest pagan community in Germany.”
The group allegedly used “pseudo-religious Germanic beliefs to spread their worldview which violates human dignity,” according to the authorities.
The website of the cult, its publications, and Familienwerk, another organization linked to it, are also prohibited.
Another neo-Nazi organization, Hammerskins, was recently outlawed in Germany. It was well-known for hosting far-right events and disseminating racist music.
After another group, Blood and Honour, was outlawed in 2000, Hammerskins, founded in the US in the late 1980s, was the last significant right-wing skinhead organization operating in Germany.
It played a significant role in establishing neo-Nazi record labels, disseminating anti-Semitic music, and planning covert music events.
The German interior minister stated that while right-wing extremism “has many faces,” Artgemeinschaft was “no less dangerous” despite acting differently than Hamerskins.
One of the first Nazi organizations in Germany is called Artgemeinschaft. According to Ms. Faeser, it was crucial in tying together various far-right and neo-Nazi groups in Germany.
German intelligence claims that the individual who shot and killed famous local lawmaker Walter Lübcke in 2019 because of “racism and xenophobia” was a part of the organization. His name is Stephan Ernst.
Members of the gang allegedly had connections with Ralf Wohlleben, a neo-Nazi who was convicted of aiding members of a renowned cell that committed 10 racially motivated killings in Germany, according to German media.
Over a third of the 38,800 right-wing extremists active in Germany are deemed to be “potentially violent” according to the domestic intelligence agency.