Germany bans neo-Nazi “sect” that indoctrinates children | world

The German government on Wednesday (27) banned a group of right-wing extremists called Artgemeinschaft (“Society of Species”), which aimed to indoctrinate children.

On the same day, police carried out searches and seizures in dozens of homes belonging to members of the organization and other locations, in 12 out of 16 German states.

A statement from the Interior Ministry said it banned the Artgemeinschaft, a pagan, neo-Nazi, anti-democratic association of about 150 people, and all its subdivisions, with names such as Gefährtschaften (“Axis of Comrades”), Gilden (“Guild” or “Corporation”), and Freundeskreise (“Circle”). Friends”), and Familienwerk (“Family Business”).

“We are banning a sectarian, racist and anti-Semitic association,” Interior Minister Nancy Viser said in a statement. “This is another blow to right-wing extremism and those who continue to spread Nazi ideologies to this day.”

Visser said the group, founded in 1951, attempted to indoctrinate children and young adults with its anti-democratic Nazi ideology under the facade of Germanic pseudo-religious doctrine. The association distributed children’s books with anti-Semitic content, including several titles from the Nazi era.

Similarity to Nazi ideology

The group’s main goal was to preserve and promote a type of racist doctrine, equivalent to the term “race” as used by the Nazis. The ministry’s statement said that the symbolism, narratives contrary to the constitutional order, and the group’s activities also show similarities with Nazi ideology.

They taught their members how to select “suitable” mates, within the Central and Northern European biotypes, in order to pass on the “correct” genetic makeup, consistent with the group’s racist ideology. People from other backgrounds were subject to deterioration, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

In searches conducted on Wednesday, firearms, bulletproof vests, gold, cash and materials with extremist content were found. Visser reported that some crossbows were also seized and two weapons licenses were cancelled.

Police also collected medals, flags and busts associated with Nazism. According to the minister, about 700 members of the security services participated in the operations.

The ban imposed on the group was prepared more than a year ago, based on investigations conducted by the Department for the Protection of the Constitution, the intelligence service responsible for containing risks that threaten internal security in Germany.

The police broke up a racist group

Last week, the German government banned the neo-Nazi group Hammerskins Germany and searched the homes of dozens of its members.

The group, an offshoot of a far-right association in the United States, has played a central role in the neo-Nazi scene in Europe in recent years.

The Home Office said the Hammerskins were known for their performances of white supremacist rock music.

The group, which has about 130 members, aims to spread “a racist doctrine based on Nazi ideology.”