Banned neo-Nazi group 'Combat 18' active in Germany again

German officials have had hundreds of reports of the
militant, far-right group's activity in recent years, according to an
investigative media report published on Friday by the daily "Süddeutsche
Zeitung" and the public broadcaster NDR.
Berlin banned "Combat 18" in 2000, while
also banning its mother organization "Blood & Honour," the
neo-Nazi association active all over Europe.
While "Blood & Honour" mostly deals
with propaganda, notably setting up extremist-themed concerts and producing and
disseminating audio material, "Combat 18" represents the armed wing
of the movement and has conducted attacks on political opponents, migrants and
journalists across the continent. The militia was first established in the UK
in 1992. The "18" in the group's name stands for Adolf Hitler,
corresponding to the numerical position of the letters "A" and
"H" in the alphabet.
The group also recommends using small,
"leaderless" cells to conduct the attacks. The same strategy has been
successfully used by the National Socialist Underground terrorists in Germany,
but investigators found no link between the two neo-Nazi factions.
According to the reports, "Combat 18" has
managed to reactivate in Germany over the last four years. Officials believe
that the organization has established structures in at least seven out of
Germany's 16 states. The exact number of the groups' members in the country
remains unknown. The organization is believed to have been sending funds to
other European countries, including Hungary, in order to support the local
far-right movement across Europe.
Authorities compiled a file on the group in response
to a late-October inquiry by members of the opposition Left party. Several
weeks later, the police raided a far-right gathering in the central state of
Thuringia, reportedly arresting four members of the "Blood & Honour
Südthüringen" organization.
Federal security services and prosecutors keep the
group's activities under observation, according to the report. At the same
time, the prosecutors' office sees no grounds to start an investigation on the
issue.
"Unlike the federal government, anti-fascist
scholars have been stressing the central role of the ['Combat 18'] for
years" Linke lawmaker Martina Renner told NDR. "Also, the informants
who worked with the police on 'Blood & Honour' are asking: Why is there no
significant pressure to investigate ever since the group has been
banned?'"
Earlier this week, German authorities raised
multiple locations to flush out "Reichsbürger," members of yet
another far-right movement.