German police carried out raids across the country on Wednesday after banning the activity of a far-right group, which they described as a "sect-like, racist and anti-Semitic organization" that seeks to indoctrinate children with Nazi ideology.

The police stormed 26 apartments owned by 39 members of the “Artgemannschaft” network in 12 states, including Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Brandenburg.

The Interior Ministry said that the organization includes about 150 members and has links to several right-wing extremist groups.
The ministry said it was using the cover of a "false Germanic belief in God to spread its worldview that violates human dignity."

Using Nazi-era literature, the organization sought to persuade young people to embrace its racial theories.

It also ran an online library that sought to spread extremism and attract new members.

"This is another blow to right-wing extremism and to the intellectual agitators who continue to spread Nazi ideologies," German Interior Minister Nancy Weiser said.

“This far-right group attempted to mobilize new enemies of the Constitution through disgusting indoctrination of children and youth,” she added.

Germany has banned a range of far-right organizations in recent months.

Last week, it banned the local chapter of the US-headquartered neo-Nazi group Hammerskins, which is known for organizing white supremacist rock concerts.

About 38,800 people belonged to the far-right spectrum in Germany in 2022, according to a report submitted by the Federal Internal Intelligence Agency in June, up from 33,900 in 2021.

The number of those considered violent also increased from 13,500 to 14,000.