BERLIN: A group of German radicals will face trial for forming “Shariah police” street patrols that told people to stop drinking, gambling and listening to music, a court said Tuesday.
The ultra-conservative group around German convert Sven Lau sparked public anger with their vigilante patrols in 2014 in the western city of Wuppertal.
A city court last December said the group would not face charges — but a higher court has now overturned that decision, announcing that eight members of the group could face trial, without setting a date.
It sided with state prosecutors who had argued the group’s orange vests with the words “Shariah Police” on them constituted a violation of a ban on uniforms at public rallies.
The state high court in Duesseldorf also found that the law — which is aimed against militant street movements such as the early Nazi party — could be applied in this case.
The ultra-conservative group around German convert Sven Lau sparked public anger with their vigilante patrols in 2014 in the western city of Wuppertal.
A city court last December said the group would not face charges — but a higher court has now overturned that decision, announcing that eight members of the group could face trial, without setting a date.
It sided with state prosecutors who had argued the group’s orange vests with the words “Shariah Police” on them constituted a violation of a ban on uniforms at public rallies.
The state high court in Duesseldorf also found that the law — which is aimed against militant street movements such as the early Nazi party — could be applied in this case.
