POLICE in Germany today arrested eight suspected members of a far-right organisation, the public prosecutor said.

The suspects — some of them minors and adolescents — were allegedly part of a group of around 15-20 individuals called Sachsische Separatisten, or Saxonian Separatists, characterised by racist, anti-semitic and partially apocalyptic ideas, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

“Its members are united in a profound rejection of the liberal democratic order and believe that Germany is nearing ‘collapse’,” the statement said.

It said the group plotted to seize power in Saxony and potentially other eastern German states “to establish governmental and societal structures inspired by National Socialism.”

“Even ethnic cleansing was part of their inhuman plans,” Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said in a statement.

He said that the arrests were a reminder that the German constitutional state and the free and democratic order “are under threat from many sides.

“We must do everything we can to defend our liberal democracy against its enemies,” he said.

The eight men were arrested in different locations across Saxony and their alleged ringleader was apprehended in Poland.

More than 450 police officers and special forces searched 20 premises in connection with the arrests.

The prosecutor’s office said that since the far-right group’s founding in 2020, it has made continuous preparations for the perceived inevitable and violent change of government.

It said its members repeatedly completed paramilitary training in combat gear, practised specifically urban warfare, firearms handling and other skills. 

The group also procured military hardware, such as combat helmets and bullet-proof vests, the statement said.

Seven other suspects were also investigated in the raids but not detained.