Spanish judge suspends prominent ultra-right group Nucleo Nacional

A Spanish judge has ordered the suspension ​of ultra-right group Nucleo Nacional's ​activities as part of an ‌investigation into ​alleged hate crimes and illegal association, a court in the northern city of Gijon said on Thursday. The ruling, which ‌ordered the group's office shut, social media content and bank accounts blocked, follows the arrest of 14 NN members last week on suspicion of inciting hatred against vulnerable groups and ‌people with opposing ideologies. Police also searched its headquarters in Madrid and other locations.

Representatives ‌of the group could not be reached for comment. Police said officers had seized more than 20 firearms during the searches, some of them unlicensed, as well as large quantities of ammunition and other ⁠illegal weapons.

NN, ​which describes itself ⁠as a political movement, has come under scrutiny from Spanish authorities over its anti-immigration rhetoric, especially after July's ⁠mass crossing by thousands of migrants into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, where NN members ​staged anti-immigration rallies. Authorities in Spain, which is due to hold a general election ⁠on November 29, allege the group recruited and indoctrinated young people, including minors, encouraging them to carry out ⁠acts ​of hatred, discrimination and violence against vulnerable groups.

On its website, Nucleo Nacional says it is a movement seeking a "national awakening" and aiming to build a community of ⁠trained activists capable of carrying out what it calls "authentically revolutionary" political and social ⁠action. The court said ⁠key members of the organisation had already been placed under precautionary measures, including a ban on leaving Spain and a requirement to ‌report weekly ‌to a court.