German court overturns ban on neo-Nazi Hammerskins group

By Cuneyt Karadag

BERLIN (AA)— A German federal court has overturned a ban imposed in 2023 on the right-wing extremist Hammerskins Germany group, local media reported on Friday.

The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig said that judges could not find evidence of a nationwide Hammerskins umbrella organization that could have been banned.

The judges ruled that the ban on the group was unlawful, as the Interior Ministry failed to provide sufficient evidence that a nationwide, dominant leadership actually existed within the neo-Nazi group.

It was not examined whether the "Hammerskins" are unconstitutional, according to the report.

Following the ruling, the Hammerskins can continue its activities in Germany, which is believed to have around 130 members in the country.

In 2023, then-German Foreign Minister Nancy Faeser banned the group, which is an offshoot of the American Hammerskins.

"With this ban, we are putting an end to the inhumane activities of an internationally active neo-Nazi association. In doing so, we are sending a clear signal against racism and antisemitism," Faeser said in a statement.