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

A woman and six men are accused of being behind a string of attacks between 2018 and 2023 that injured several people.

A German court has opened the trial of several left-wing activists accused of violent attacks on right-wing hardliners.

The court in Dresden in southeast Germany on Tuesday launched the case against seven members of the Antifa Ost group, who are accused of injuring several people in politically motivated assaults.

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They are accused of targeting neo-Nazi and other right-wing hardliners in bludgeoning attacks carried out between 2018 and 2023 in eastern Germany. The attacks saw them branded the “hammer gang”.

The suspects include a previously convicted lead defendant, Lina E, and six men.

Two of the suspects are also accused of injuring several people in Budapest in February 2023 during the Day of Honour event in the Hungarian capital, which draws right-wing hardliners from across Europe.

Another German activist, Maja T, was earlier extradited to Hungary, where she is on trial. She faces a sentence of up to 24 years for membership of a criminal organisation, attempted homicide, and serious bodily injury.

Illiberal beacon

The trial is one of the most high-profile prosecutions of left-wing activists in Germany in recent years. It is taking place in ex-communist eastern Germany, a region in which far-right and anti-immigrant groups have flourished and extreme right-wing political forces have found significant support.

The illiberal government in Budapest has also helped to make Hungary something of a beacon for the far right, and it has been eager to prosecute crimes of left-wing forces.

Another Italian antifascist activist, Ilaria Salis, arrested during the Day of Honour event in 2023 on three counts of attempted assault and membership of an extreme left-wing organisation, was held in Hungarian custody for about 15 months.

However, she had to be released when she was elected to the European Parliament for Italy’s Greens and Left Alliance in June last year.

Last month, the European Parliament voted down a request from Budapest to lift her parliamentary immunity so that her prosecution could continue.

United States President Donald Trump, who has accused the “radical left” of pursuing political violence, has recently designated Antifa Ost and several other European left-wing and anarchist groups as “foreign terrorist organisations”.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), itself designated an “extremist” organisation in Germany, welcomed Washington’s decision and said the German government must follow suit. However, Berlin has shown no interest in taking the step so far.

The trials of the seven individuals in Germany are expected to run until July 2026.