German neo-Nazi rock group charged
( 2003-12-23 16:54) (Agencies)
A German court found members
of a neo-Nazi rock group guilty of forming a criminal association in the first
case of its kind in the country.
The 38-year-old lead singer of the band "Landser" was sentenced to three
years and four months in prison, while two other members received suspended
sentences of 22 and 21 months after a trial lasting six months.
The band had "massively disrupted society's cohesiveness" with its song
lyrics inciting racial hatred, the court ruled.
Prosecutions have often been brought against individuals under laws banning
Nazi propaganda and promotion of racial hatred, but this is the first time a
collective prosecution of this kind has been brought against a musical
group.
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