Militant group Antifa Ost said to be behind assaults on rightwing extremists in Germany and Hungary
Seven alleged members of the German far-left militant group Antifa Ost go on trial on Tuesday accused of attacks targeting rightwing extremists that earned them the nickname “Hammer Gang”.
The US this month designated Antifa Ost as a terrorist group along with several other European far-left and anarchist groups.
German prosecutors say the group was behind attacks on targets in Germany and Hungary between 2018 and 2023. The owner of a restaurant in the central state of Thuringia that served as a meeting point for rightwing activists is alleged to have been attacked twice. Some of the suspects also allegedly targeted presumed rightwing extremists with hammers, leaving some severely injured.
The trial of the six men and one woman is expected to run until July 2026 in the eastern city of Dresden. Two of the suspects, partly identified as Johann G and Paul M, are also accused of attacking and injuring several people in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, in February 2023 around the so-called “day of honour” – an annual event drawing rightwing extremists from across Europe.
