Monday, Feb. 25, 2013

Report: German gov't backs ban on far-right party

By The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's federal government plans to back legal efforts to ban the country's biggest far-right party.

German news agency dpa reports that Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told lawmakers Monday that the government would follow Germany's 16 states in asking for a ban on the National Democratic Party.

Interior Ministry officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

The government has accused the NPD of promoting a racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic agenda in violation of the country's constitution.

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court rejected a request by the federal government to ban the party a decade ago after learning some of the evidence came from paid government informants within the NPD.

Because it holds seats in two state parliaments, the NPD receives more than €1 million ($1.33 million) in public funding annually.

2013-02-25 19:56:09 GMT

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