The operation is running in twelve of the 16 German federal states. There are only searches, no arrests are planned, says the spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
Symbolic image: major raid by the German Federal Police. Imago
Searches of suspected right-wing extremists have been underway in twelve of the 16 German federal states since Wednesday morning. A spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe said 36 people are accused of forming or being members of the criminal organizations “Young and Strong” and “German Youth Forward”. There is a suspicion that the accused are prominent members of the two groups, according to a statement from the authorities.
Most of the accused are accused of ring leadership. Eight suspects are also being investigated for grievous bodily harm. The youngest accused is said to be 16 years old. There are only searches, no arrests are planned, said the spokeswoman. The only states exempt from the searches are Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, Hamburg and Bremen.
According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the groups have existed since mid-2024, they are organized throughout Germany and have regional groups in the federal states. “German Youth Forward” sometimes appears under the name “Neue Deutsche Welle”. Members networked both through social media and at regular meetings. There are calls for acts of violence against political opponents and alleged pedophiles.
“Some of the accused are said to have attacked members of the left-wing scene or people they considered to be pedophiles. The victims were each beaten by several attackers and suffered significant injuries,” it said.
In recent years, for example, there have been disruptions and attacks on parades on Christopher Street Day, which is dedicated to the rights of lesbian, gay and other queer people. The Federal Criminal Police Office explained in mid-2025: “The federal and state police authorities have been observing since around the middle of last year that new youth groups have appeared in the right-wing scene, which were initially founded in virtual space.” These are now increasingly appearing through events, disruptive actions and criminal offenses.
According to information from security circles, the largest of this group at the time was “Young and Strong” with a number of followers in the mid three-digit range. The number of followers of “Deutsche Jugend Voran” was estimated at more than 100 at the time.
Other relevant associations include “The Störtrupp” and the “Last Defense Wave” group. Suspected members of the “Last Defense Wave” are currently on trial in Hamburg for several acts of violence. (APA/dpa)
