Raids in ten federal states
Interior Minister bans neo-Nazi network: Who are the Hammerskins?
The house of the right-wing extremist Sven Krüger, who is known throughout Germany, was also searched as part of the “Hammerskins” ban
© Jens Büttner / DPA
They stand for the rule of the white race, have been involved in numerous terrorist attacks worldwide and are well connected: The Interior Ministry has banned the Hammerskins group in Germany. What is behind the neo-Nazi network?
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has that Neo-Nazi network Hammerskins Germany banned. Early on Tuesday morning, police forces searched the homes of suspected members of the association in ten federal states. The association was acting against the constitutional order, against the idea of international understanding, it was said to justify the ban.
An expression that almost seems understated. The Hammerskins have been one of the most influential neo-Nazi networks for years, not only in Germany but worldwide. Its members openly call for an attack on democracy, and their racist and anti-Semitic ideology often leads to terrorism. Among other things, the terrorists of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) were connected to the Hammerskins. The attacker in the “Wisconsin Sikh Shooting” in the USA was also an avowed member of the network. In 2012 he shot six people near the city of Milwaukee for racist and anti-Muslim motives.
Conspiratorial, violent, well-connected: these are the Hammerskins
The network was founded in 1986 in the USA. It sees itself as an elite – externally as the ruling “white race”, internally as the top of the Nazi skinhead movement. “The Hammerskins are an internationally active brotherhood that adhere to the National Socialist ideology and are deeply racist and anti-Semitic,” explains the Thuringian state parliament member of the Left, Katharina König-Preuss, in an interview with star. König-Preuss was one of the main investigators in the NSU investigative committee in Thuringia.
From the beginning, secrecy, discipline and loyalty were important cornerstones in building the global neo-Nazi network. A strict set of rules applies, in some respects comparable to hierarchically organized motorcycle clubs. Their identifying mark is two crossed carpenter’s hammers in front of a gear. A symbol of the connection between the Germanic god Thor, who stands for the “purity of the race” in neo-Nazi circles, and the working class.
The motto “Hammerskins forever, forever Hammerskins” (HFFH) is roughly the same as that of the Hell’s Angels “Angels forever, forever Angels” (AFFA).
But it’s not just the motto, the structures are also comparable: Similar to the large “Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs”, the Hammerskins founded so-called “chapters”, local groups of the network, around the world. In addition, as with motorcycle clubs, potential members have to go through a lengthy selection process before they are actually accepted into the organizational structures. Unwanted people who do not serve the purpose of the network, for example alcoholics or “crazy people” are excluded in advance.
According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education, a Germany division of the Hammerskins has existed since 1991, with at least 13 chapters at last – spread from Bremen to Baden-Württemberg and from Westphalia to Saxony. But they rarely appeared in intelligence reports. The group was not mentioned in the federal report in 2022 either. “The Hammerskins have been ignored and almost trivialized over the past 30 years,” says König-Preuss.
The MP does not accept the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution’s argument that the group is relatively small. According to estimates, there are only around 130 to 200 people in the Hammerskins network in Germany, but their militancy and secrecy are much more pronounced than in larger groups. “The danger is not a question of the size of a structure, but of ideological radicalization. And it doesn’t really get any more radical than the Hammerskins,” explains König-Preuss.
Although the network rarely appears publicly, its influence on the neo-Nazi scene is enormous.
Right-wing rock, merchandise, martial arts events: The Hammerskins have become a business
What is particularly striking is that the Hammerskins have managed to make money with their ideology like no other group. They are closely linked to the right-wing rock scene in Germany; members act, for example, as music producers or organizers of conspiratorial neo-Nazi concerts. Most of the money in the scene is still made in this area. The network finances itself with the income, but also the entire scene.
The Hammerskins have also found a new source of income in recent years: martial arts events. Leading members of the association helped organize the “Battle of the Nibelungs” series, in which right-wing extremists competed against each other in disciplines such as boxing, kickboxing and the increasingly popular mixed martial arts (MMA). As the “MDR” reports, conscious commitment to the Basic Law was expressly not necessary in order to participate.
It is no coincidence that the group organizes this type of event. Martial arts play a key role in the Hammerskins’ ideology. The training is intended to prepare members for “street fighting.” In this context, “Day X” is repeatedly invoked, i.e. the day on which the democratic system is to be overthrown.
King Preuss: “The ban is right, but…”
For König-Preuss, the ban is an important sign, but she emphasizes that this could only be the beginning. “It makes sense to ban the Hammerskins, especially so that they can no longer appear publicly with their symbols and codes. But it remains to be seen whether the Interior Ministry is really serious about the ban.” What is crucial is whether the ban is followed by action, says König-Preuss. For example, whether the group’s assets will be confiscated or whether martial arts events organized by Hammerskin will be banned.
Sources: MDR Investigative, Exif Research Platform, Federal Agency for Civic Education