Wolfsbrigade 44

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Die Wolfsbrigade 44, or Die Sturmbrigade 44, was a German Neo-Nazi organization.

History[edit]

The organisation was founded in 2016.[1] In early December 2020, the group was banned by the federal government of Germany and law enforcement officials conducted a number of police raids on locations in three states in connection with the ban.[2] The federal German government had also banned the group's symbols, such as a skull with two grenades that had the number 44 marked on them.[3] It was the fourth German far-right group to be banned in 2020.[1]

Ideology and symbolism[edit]

According to The Times, Wolfsbrigade 44 members identified with a war criminal, Oskar Dirlewanger, whose brutality (rape, mass murder of children, and torture) was unusual even by the standards of the Waffen-SS.[1]

The website associated with German television news programme Tagesschau described the group as wanting to end democracy in Germany and establish a system of government based on the Nazi regime. The group was reported to have referred to the modern German state as the "Jewish Republic".[4]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Crossland, Peter (5 December 2020). "Germany 'too slow' to outlaw far-right groups". The Times. p. 54. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Germany bans far-right, pro-Nazi group; Police raid homes". Associated Press. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. ^ Siebold, Sabine (1 December 2020). Heritage, Timothy (ed.). "Germany bans far-right 'Wolf Brigade 44', finds weapons and Nazi symbols". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  4. ^ Götschenberg, Michael (1 December 2020). "Verbot der "Sturmbrigade 44": Gut vernetzte Rechtsextremisten". tagesschau.de (via web.archive.org) (in German). Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-13.