SEK officers enter one of the properties to be searched on Strausberger Strasse Photo: Spreepicture
By Axel Lier and Frank Schneider
The officials struck early in the morning: a nationwide raid was aimed at the neo-Nazi group Hammerskins.
According to BZ information, two apartments belonging to two right-wing extremists Oliver Sch. And Martin K. searched. The police are therefore on duty on Strausberger Straße in Alt-Hohenschönhausen and on Anton-Saefkow-Platz in Lichtenberg.
In Brandenburg, two properties in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, one in Barnim and an apartment in Havelland are being searched. There are three properties in North Rhine-Westphalia. The focus of the campaign should be in the eastern German federal states. In total, there are over 130 addresses nationwide that police officers are currently searching.
“Elite” in the neo-Nazi scene
The neo-Nazi “Hammerskin Nation” is an international group. The Hammerskins see themselves as the elite in the neo-Nazi scene and call themselves – similar to rockers – a brotherhood. According to the police, it is a tightly run and conspiratorial organization.
The first and oldest Hammerskin branch was founded in Berlin in 1992. The Berliners have set the tone in the German scene for decades. In the 2000s, the Berlin group lost influence; It was only from 2011 onwards that the so-called Berlin Chapter – a local group – was able to gain influence and members again.
The Hammerskins Berlin are said to include around five to eight men who live in the capital, but also in Brandenburg. Many of them deliberately do not appear in public, they avoid right-wing rock concerts and do not wear conspicuous insignia at demos and events.
The group members are closely associated with several neo-Nazi bands. According to information from security circles, they also operate in Berlin’s hooligan milieu.