Image source, Reuters Image caption,

German police have raided locations linked to the Artgemeinschaft sect across Germany

By Michael Ertl

BBC News

Germany has banned the far-right sect Artgemeinschaft for spreading Nazi ideology to children and young people.

The country's interior minister called the group "deeply racist and antisemitic" and said it was trying "to raise new enemies of the constitution".

Artgemeinschaft used Nazi-era literature and cultural events to spread its ideology.

Police have raided dozens of homes and offices linked to the group in 12 German states.

"This is another hard blow against right-wing extremism and against the intellectual arsonists who continue to spread Nazi ideologies to this day," German interior minister Nancy Faeser said.

Artgemeinschaft roughly translates to "racial community" and, according to the interior ministry, had about 150 members.

The ministry said the group was giving its members instructions about picking partners with a North or Central European background, in line with their ideology of "racial preservation".