Fri, November 06, 2009
BERLIN, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- A neo-Nazi group "Frontbann 24" was banned by the authority of Berlin on Thursday.
Berlin's Interior Minister Erhart Koerting issued the banning order on Thursday after the police raided two leading members' homes and seized Nazi souvenirs, according to the report of local media.
Frontbann 24 is positioned "against the constitutional order and in violation of criminal law," a statement from the Interior Ministry said. According to the police, Frontbann 24 is split from the far-right national Democratic Party.
The group has about 30 members, who wear black-shirt uniform. An eagle was embroidered on the pocket and the name Frontbahn on the collar.
The group was set up last year and its propaganda humiliate Jews and foreigners, said Koerting, and the ban has been considered for several month and is "against the background of a decisive fight against right-wing extremist efforts."
German intelligence agents believe the group's name draws from a pre-Nazi party group founded in 1924 also called Frontbann, which they use as a "historic example" for symbolism and group structure.
Banning means a seizure of assets and a threat of prosecution if the members meet again. In order to prevent any return of the ideology of dictator Adolf Hitler, Germany has repeatedly banned neo-Nazi groups under laws.
