Germany news: Far-right youth groups raided by police

What you need to know

• Police raided homes in 12 federal states in connection with an investigation into far-right youth groups
• Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz  marks 1 year in office

Here is a roundup of stories from and about Germany on Wednesday, May 6. 

IN DEPTH: A difficult first year for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

A year after taking office, Germany's federal leadership is struggling with the drudgery of coalition governance. Whenever there are problems, the coalition partners are blamed. Or US President Donald Trump.

DW chief political editor Michaela Küfner has observed an emerging pattern: In view of his direct criticism of Trump, Merz "often pays a high political price for his verbal clumsiness."

The question remains: "whether this chancellor, with his unprecedented talent for scoring political own goals, can translate his recognized economic expertise into political action."

Read the full story about the challenges facing Merz's government. 

Germany-wide police raids target far-right youth groups

German police on Wednesday morning were searching the homes of 36 suspected members of two far-right youth groups, Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor said.

The groups, "Deutsche Jugend Voran (DJV)" (German Youth Forwards) and "Jung und Stark (JS)" (Young and Strong), are being investigated by Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor for forming a criminal organization.

More than 600 police officers searched approximately 50 locations in 12 federal states, the public prosecutor said.

The suspects are predominantly youth and young adults, some of whom, according to investigators, have been known for violent behavior in the past.

Prosecutors said in a statement that "some of the accused are said to have attacked members of the left-wing scene or people they believed to be pedophiles. In each instance, the victims were beaten by several attackers and sustained significant injuries."

No arrests are planned at this time.

"Today's searches are intended to clarify the existing grounds for suspicion," investigators said in the statement carried by the epd news agency. 

DJV and JS emerged in mid-2024, along with numerous other regionally and nationally organized far-right youth groups. Since then, they have been on the radar of German security authorities. Both groups are considered to be prone to violence.

Law enforcement agencies estimate that each group numbers several hundred members. Both groups operate nationwide, but the DJV is mostly centered in Berlin and Brandenburg.  

Young and radical: Why right-wing populism is on the rise

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Welcome to our coverage

Guten morgen from the newsroom in Bonn! Today, we are reporting on a nationwide police operation targeting members of two far-right youth organizations.

And the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is marking 1 year in office. 

Follow us for this and everything else being talked about in Germany today.