STUTTGART, Germany – German police raided 224 apartments and houses across the country Wednesday, confiscating 45,000 music CDs in a crackdown on the far-right music scene.
Stuttgart prosecutors, who led the operation, said 204 people aged 21-45 are being investigated for allegedly distributing the music, which includes xenophobic and anti-Semitic lyrics. There were no immediate arrests.
The production and sale of right-wing music that promotes an extremist agenda or racial hatred is against the law in Germany.
"The music is an important medium to drum-up interest among youth for the (right-wing) scene," said head prosecutor Siegfried Mahler.
Mahler said the sale of the CDs was also an important vehicle for raising money for far-right groups.
Eight hundred police officers were involved in the raids. They confiscated 170 computers along with the music CDs.
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