Germany raids sites linked to rightist youth group
Police target members of neo-Nazi group that seeks to indoctrinate children, teenagers during sponsored summer camps
The German authorities carried out nationwide raids Thursday as part of an investigation into a youth group accused of indoctrinating children and teenagers with neo-Nazi ideals. The group is accused of seeking to transform the children into extremists during its summer camps.
Authorities the offices and homes of about 100 people affiliated with the Homeland-Faithful German Youth (HDJ), an organization loosely linked to the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD).
"An anti-Semitic and racist tenor can be seen in HDJ publications," the Interior Ministry said in a statement after the raids.
"The HDJ's self-image is near in spirit to the ideology, historically, of the Nazis." The Interior Ministry is seeking to ban the group.
In August, the police raided a camp in northern Germany run by the HDJ and said they had found racist propaganda material dating back to the early 20th century and towels decorated with swastikas.
The 39 children and teenagers who had been at the camp near Rostock were sent home.
The group was founded in 1990 in Plön, near Kiel, but is now based in Berlin and has several hundred members, the ministry said.
Reuters and AP contributed to this report
