German court opens trial against left-wing ‘hammer gang’

A court in Germany has started the trial of a number of left-wing activists who are accused of attacking right-wing activists violently.

Seven Antifa Ost members are accused of injuring several people in politically motivated assaults, and the Dresden court in southeast Germany on Tuesday brought the case.

In bludgeoning attacks carried out in eastern Germany between 2018 and 2023, they are accused of targeting neo-Nazi and other right-wing hardliners. They were known as the “hammer gang” during the attacks.

Lina E, a previously convicted lead defendant, and six men make up the suspects.

In Budapest, in February 2023, two of the suspects are accused of injuring several people during the day’s event, which draws right-wing extremists from all over Europe.

Maja T, a different German activist, is currently facing a trial in Hungary. She faces serious bodily injury, attempted homicide, and membership in a criminal organization that could last up to 24 years.

Illiberal beacon

One of Germany’s most well-known left-wing activist prosecutions in recent years is the trial. Extremist right-wing political forces have found significant support in ex-communist eastern Germany, where far-right and anti-immigrant groups have thrived and have gained traction.

Hungary’s illiberal government has also contributed to its becoming a beacon for the far-right, and it has been eager to prosecute crimes committed by left-wing forces.

Ilaria Salis, an additional anti-fascist activist from Italy who was detained for about 15 months after being detained at the Day of Honor in 2023 on three counts of attempted assault and belonging to a radical left-wing organization, was also being held in Hungary’s custody for that reason.

She was elected to the European Parliament for Italy’s Greens and Left Alliance in June of last year, but she was required to be released.

Budapest’s request to remove her parliamentary immunity was rejected by the European Parliament last month, allowing for the continuation of her legal case.

Antifa Ost and a number of other left-wing and anarchist organizations have recently been designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” by US President Donald Trump, who has accused the “radical left” of engaging in political violence.

The German government must follow suit, according to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has also been labeled an “extremist” organization in Germany. Berlin hasn’t yet shown any interest in making the move.