Spanish court suspends far-right group over alleged hate crimes
A Spanish judge has suspended the ultra-right group Nucleo Nacional, ordering its office shut and accounts blocked after 14 arrests and seizure of over 20 firearms.
The court in the northern city of Gijon announced the ruling on Thursday, ordering the group's office shut and its social media content and bank accounts blocked. The move follows the arrest last week of 14 of its members on suspicion of inciting hatred against vulnerable groups and people with opposing ideologies.
Police searched the group's headquarters in Madrid and other locations, seizing more than 20 firearms, some unlicensed, along with large quantities of ammunition and other illegal weapons.
Political context
The decision comes ahead of Spain's general election on November 29 and a day after the first nationwide general strike in 14 years. Spanish authorities have scrutinized the group over its anti-immigration rhetoric, particularly after thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, in July.
They won't beat us.
Legal measures
The court said key members of the organization had already been placed under precautionary measures, including a ban on leaving Spain and a requirement to report weekly to a court.
Reuters reported last month that Spanish police arrested three members of a far-right group in Madrid on October 3, after tens of thousands marched across the country over the housing crisis.
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