German far-left activist sentenced to prison for threatening neo-Nazis

BERLIN

A German court on Wednesday sentenced a far-left activist to over five years in prison for allegedly forming an illegal organization, and carrying out attacks against neo-Nazi figures in the eastern states.


Lina E., a 28-year-old university student from Leipzig, and her three left-wing friends, were found guilty of “founding a left-wing extremist criminal organization,” which was driven by a "militant anti-fascist ideology,” according to media reports.


They were also convicted for carrying out an attack against a neo-Nazi bar, threatening far-right figures, and beating right-wing extremists in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony between 2018 and 2020.

Lina E., who was accused of being the leader of the group, was sentenced to five years and three months to prison, while her three friends were handed shorter prison terms.

German far-left groups heavily criticized the court’s decision and announced that they will hold demonstrations in various cities against the ruling.