A raid by German police has led to the arrest of more than 20 people thought to be neo-Nazis who belong to an outlawed organization.
The raid last Friday took place in the German states of Brandenburg, located in the east, and North Rhine-Westphalia, located in the west.
The crackdown was hailed as a blow to right-wing extremists in Germany by Interior Minister Josef Kniola of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The 22 suspects, whose ages range from 15 to 56, were suspected of belonging to the Recklinghausen Comrades, a renamed segment of the Free German Workers’ Party, which was outlawed in February 1995.
More than 150 police took part in the crackdown, which involved the search of 20 apartments as well as a publisher’s office. The police discovered weapons, Nazi flags and propagandistic publications.
The raid came after police received warnings of an attack on a home for those seeking asylum in Germany.
The Free German Workers’ Party, also known as the FAP, had glorified the Third Reich.
Party leaders had called for the overthrow of the government and the execution of anyone who opposed them. Members also had viewed Rudolf Hess, one of Adolf Hitler’s henchmen, as their role model.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
