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German woman in neo-Nazi trial calm as emotions flare

As angry anti-racism protesters rallied outside the courthouse Monday, the woman at the centre of a landmark German neo-Nazi murder trial was the picture of calm. As Beate Zschaepe entered the courtroom, arms casually crossed and looking confident, she briefly glanced toward the television cameras, then turned her back on them. The 38-year-old -- best known to the public looking dishevelled in a 2011 police mugshot -- now sported a black pantsuit, pressed white shirt, earrings and a glossy new hairstyle.

German neo-Nazi trial reserves spots for Turkish media

A German court set to start a neo-Nazi murder trial next month said Friday it would relaunch its media accreditation process to guarantee four seats to journalists from Turkey, where most of the victims hailed from. The court will assign those spots using a lottery system and will also have quotas for other foreign media that want to cover what has been dubbed the country's trial of the decade.

2,000 protest in Munich against neo-Nazi killings

About 2,000 people are protesting in Munich against the terror of a neo-Nazi trio suspected of killing nine businessmen and a police woman since 2000.The far-right murders hit the immigrants hardest, because eight victims had Turkish roots.

Neo-Nazis established network inside German jails

German authorities say they are tightening security measures after discovering a neo-Nazi network inside the country's prisons.The network, which was used to try and organize financial help for far-right convicts and their relatives, was discovered in the state of Hesse after evidence was uncovered during a search of prison cells.Authorities say coded messages were sent between prisons by letter through the mail and also hidden in magazines.

Turkish paper eyes legal fight over German neo-Nazi trial access

A Turkish newspaper said on Thursday it would complain to Germany's highest court over media access to a trial of suspected neo-Nazis blamed for the murder of eight Turks, in a row that has embarrassed the German government.With one of Germany's most anticipated trials in years set to start on April 17, a Munich court allocated 50 guaranteed seats to media on a first-come-first-served basis, without including a single Turkish journalist.The court said reporters could queue for another 50-60 places each day.

German pastor in dock over anti-Nazi protest violence

A German pastor went on trial Thursday for his role in a demonstration against neo-Nazis that turned violent. The 59-year-old Protestant youth minister, Lothar Koenig, stands accused before the district court in Dresden of inciting attacks against police at an anti-skinhead rally in February 2011. Prosecutors say that calls to leftist counter-demonstrators for violence against police officers were heard from the loudspeaker van Koenig was driving at the rally, and that he used the vehicle to try to force a police car from a road.

Turkish Deputy PM: Germany must investigate racism as motive for fires

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag has called on German authorities to investigate claims that two recent fires, which broke out in predominately Turkish apartment buildings in the cities of Cologne and Stuttgart in March, may be an act of racially motivated arson.The debate over the German authorities treatment of racially motivated attacks against Turks was triggered after two people died in Cologne on Sunday after a fire ripped through their apartment building, which is home to primarily those of Turkish descent.

Greece arrests three neo-Nazis for attacks, arms posession

Greek police have arrested two neo-Nazi sympathisers for illegal arms possession and a third person suspected of involvement in an attack that left three Pakistani migrants hospitalised, a police source said Friday. The arrests come as Greece is increasingly coming under pressure by human rights groups and its European neighbours to fight its growing neo-Nazi tendencies and widespread xenophobic violence.

Austrian police say arrest neo-Nazi gang members

VIENNA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Austrian police have arrested 10 suspected members of a neo-Nazi crime gang accused of arson attacks, weapons and drugs dealing, illegal prostitution, assault and other crimes. Police said on Thursday the gang maintained a reign of terror for years over red light districts in Upper Austria, costing businesses at least 3.5 million euros ($4.6 million). Some leaders of the gang, which called itself "Objekt 21", were known to police as neo-Nazis, a police spokeswoman told Reuters.
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