Four far-left extremists, including a female German student, have received jail sentences for a string of attacks on people they saw as belonging to Germany’s neo-Nazi scene. The court decision, in what was one of the most high-profile trials of militants seen in the country in years, prompted violent outbreaks in several cities across Germany.
Rioting erupted despite the fact that the convicted woman, a 28-year-old referred to as “Lina E” and who was sentenced to five years and three months on Wednesday, was released on condition that she would only return to jail if she loses an appeal regarding her pre-trial detention that lasted some two and a half years.
Lina E is regarded by many as being the driving force behind what have been deemed violent, “commando-style” attacks on neo-Nazis as well the German police and, in one case, an uninvolved member of the public.
The three others received sentences of around three years, amid chaotic scenes in Dresden where the trial was held in a heavily guarded courthouse.
At the verdict, supporters of the four found guilty expressed their outrage vocally, as shouts of “fascist friends” and “shitty class justice” rang through the courtroom, prompting the judge to suspend procedures for 15 minutes.
Following the conviction, radicals apparently belonging to the US-founded Antifa, a left-wing, decentralised political organisation that claims to fight against racism and fascism, announced violent repercussions and threatened judges.
Meanwhile, riots broke out in Bremen and Leipzig, where far-left protesters hurled bottles, rocks and fireworks at police. Protests also kicked off in Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg. The disturbances led to the deployment of heavy police presences in the affected areas. As a result of the outbreaks, the right to assembly has been restricted in Leipzig over the coming weekend, after a major protest was announced to be taking place there on Saturday.
Among her judicially imposed limitations, Lina E is only allowed to change her place of residence with the court’s permission and must also surrender her identity card and her passport. In addition, she must now report to the police twice a week. Despite her identity being required to be kept secret under Germany’s strict privacy laws, German media outlet Compact has previously published both her photo and her name.
The court heard that between 2018 and 2020, the self-styled far-left vigilantes executed brutal assaults against people they saw as neo-Nazis. They also targeted police officers, judges and entrepreneurs. Other charges the four faced included severe trespassing, predatory theft and forgery.
Prosecutors cited six violent attacks that specifically involved Lina E and her cohorts in which 13 people were hurt, leaving two with life-threatening injuries. Most of the victims were those the four regarded as involved with the German neo-Nazi scene, but at least one person was not. Among attacks, the four are suspected of targeting men and women with hammers, clubs and pepper spray.
One of those critically hurt was Tobias N, a sewage worker who was battered about the head and back by five attackers, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. Although he did not appear in court, he testified that he still suffers pain, nerve damage and an anxiety disorder as a result of the beating. The perpetrators apparently attacked him spontaneously after deciding he was a neo-Nazi because he was wearing a cap sporting the alleged right-wing fashion brand Greifvogel Wear.
Over the course of the lengthy juridical procedure, Lina E became something of a cult hero to those on the left, where many consider her a martyr, unfairly targeted by the German state. Politicians from the far-left party Die Linke have repeatedly stated their support for Lina E.
Alongside that, members of the Center for Political Beauty, which describes itself as “an assault troop that establishes moral beauty, political poetry, and human magnanimity”, demanded Lina E’s release and asked that she be awarded the Federal Medal of Merit. The medal is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation.
Timon Dzienus, meanwhile, the acting co-leader of Green Youth, openly expressed solidarity with Lina E under the hashtag #FreeLina on Twitter.
In earlier demonstrations, a group of masked protesters threatened the head of the Police Anti-Terrorism and Extremism Centre with a banner bearing his name and the caption: “Your dream will soon be over, then you’ll be lying in the trunk”. That appeared to be in reference to the 1977 kidnapping and murder of businessman Hanns Martin Schleyer by the Red Army Faction (RAF), also known as Baader-Meinhof Gang, and whose body was discovered in the boot of a car.
An internal document from the Federal Criminal Investigation Department was cited by Der Spiegel, revealing that several individuals associated with left-wing extremism, some of whom are wanted for arrest, had been meticulously preparing for life in hiding. Their preparations apparently included acquiring substantial amounts of cash and counterfeit identification papers. Observers say that such a level of professionalisation has not been seen among left-wing extremists since the days of the RAF.
Furthermore, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution issued a warning regarding potential retaliatory actions against law enforcement and security personnel. In response to any possible threats, judges and prosecutors had already been placed under police protection even before the Der Spiegel newspaper report was published.
Lina E was born in Kassel and resided in Connewitz, Leipzig, living amid a strong far-left scene made up of radical punks, anarchists, Antifa members and squatters, many of whom, it is claimed, often resorted to violence.
The police, political opposition, banks and even the real estate sector, were allegedly the target of physical attacks.
Meanwhile, Lina E’s fiancé, Jurgen G, who is also suspected of a long list of alleged violent political crimes, is still on the run and suspected of continuing to operate underground from abroad.
Wie können sich diese Menschen bloß für "die Guten" halten?🤔 #LinaE #Lina #AntifaOsthttps://t.co/kY5XfAZeMr
— ᵇᵉᵉᵗˡᵉˢ ᵃʳᵉ ᵈᵒᶜᵗᵒʳˢ (@BeetlesAreDocto) May 31, 2023
