German Police raid 17 alleged neo-Nazis suspected of illegal torch-carrying march

German Police have conducted searches in the apartments of 17 alleged members of a neo-Nazi group that calls itself”The Immortals” and is said to be active nationwide. Police say members of the group are suspected of having participated in a mid-December march for which permission was not granted.

During the march, right-wing extremists wearing white masks on their faces and black costumes marched through a particular neighborhood in Hamburg carrying torches. Between 25 and 35 masked people marched shouting right-wing extremist slogans. When police showed up, they ran away, but 17 of them have been identified.

Police officers say the neo-Nazis are doing their best to disseminate their ideology through such events, which violate the law on public assembly. During today’s searches in Hamburg and Lower Saxony, officers found gas pistols and materials which could be used to produce explosives. The Associated Press reports that no one has been arrested.