Germany bans neo-Nazi group Hammerskins

Germany has outlawed Hammerskins, a neo-Nazi group known for its role in organising far-right concerts and selling racist music.

The move set "a clear signal against racism and antisemitism", Germany's interior minister said.

The authorities raided the residences of 28 leading members of the group across the country.

Hammerskins, founded in the US in the late 1980s, is thought to have about 130 members in Germany.

The German authorities described the ban as "a hard blow against organised right-wing extremism" and said it was putting an end to "the inhumane actions of an internationally active neo-Nazi association".

"Right-wing extremism remains the biggest extremist threat to our democracy. That's why we continue to act very decisively," said German interior minister Nancy Faeser.

A key goal of the skinhead group was to use concerts to spread its far-right ideology, she said.

Hammerskins was heavily involved in setting up neo-Nazi music labels, selling antisemitic records and organising clandestine music events.

The group has, for example, been linked to a venue called Hate Bar in the western German state of Saarland, where police made arrests for the showcasing of banned symbols during far-right concerts as recently as April this year.

The German authorities said they had been working closely with their counterparts in the United States ahead of the ban.