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A group of seven people accused of being the left-wing extremist organization the Antifa Ost network went on trial on this week, facing charges for violent actions against far-right activists that resulted in the moniker “the hammer group”.

Global terrorist designation and legal charges

Earlier this month, the United States classified the organization as a terrorist group together with several other European far-left and anarchist networks.

Authorities in Germany state the group was behind targeting locations in the country and neighboring Hungary from 2018 through 2023. Included in the allegations is the repeated targeting of a restaurant owner in central Thuringia, whose establishment reportedly served as a meeting point for far-right supporters.

Certain individuals are allegedly accused of using hammers against suspected far-right members, causing several severely injured.

Trial details and cross-border allegations

The trial involving six men and one woman is scheduled to continue until July 2026 in the eastern city of Dresden. Two defendants, named as Johann G and Paul M, also face charges for violent incidents in the Hungarian capital during early 2023, around an yearly gathering called the “day of honor” that attracts rightwing extremists from throughout the continent.

Separately, another German activist, Maja T., is facing trial in the Hungarian judicial system for four counts of attempted violent acts against neo-Nazis in the lead-up to the identical event in 2023.

Historical background and organizational structure

Eastern Germany has long been a breeding ground for both far-right and anti-immigrant youth organizations, as well as the often militant antifascist groups that oppose them.

Authorities characterize Johann G as a high-ranking member within Antifa Ost, tasked with organizing violent acts and recruiting accomplices.

Together with Paul M, he is alleged to have arranged instruction courses where radical left activists practised combat techniques and simulated violent actions. At depots managed by Paul M, the network allegedly accumulated tools, pepper spray, disguises and communication devices.

Previous convictions and international reactions

Another militant previously active with the organization, Lina E., became a symbolic figure within certain radical left communities following her conviction in 2023 for targeting presumed far-right targets.

America's terrorist listing makes group members ineligible to enter the United States, blocks financial holdings they could possess within the world’s largest economy and criminalizes providing material support to them.

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany welcomed the US decision and called on the government in Berlin to take similar action. However, the country's diplomatic office merely commented it had “acknowledged” of the US designation.

“The danger from the organization has substantially diminished lately. Key leaders and particularly violent members have either already been convicted or are in custody.”

Interior ministry representative