Spanish judge shuts down far-right group Núcleo Nacional in hate-crime probe, weeks before national election

Spanish judge shuts down far-right group Núcleo Nacional in hate-crime probe, weeks before national election.

A Spanish judge has suspended all activity by Núcleo Nacional, a prominent ultra-right movement, ordering its offices closed, its social media content blocked and its bank accounts frozen as part of an investigation into alleged hate crimes and illegal association, a court in the northern city of Gijón said Thursday, according to Reuters.

The ruling by Gijón's Investigating Court No. 1 follows a police operation last week in which 14 of the group's members were arrested on suspicion of inciting hatred against vulnerable groups and people with opposing views. Police also searched the group's Madrid headquarters and other sites, and said they seized more than 20 firearms, some of them unlicensed, along with large quantities of ammunition and other illegal weapons.

The judge considers that the facts could amount to incitement to hatred, illegal association and illegal possession of weapons, a provisional classification that could change as the investigation proceeds, Europa Press reported. According to the Spanish news agency, the weapons count rests not on the firearms, most of which were licensed, but on prohibited items found in the searches, including brass knuckles and Taser-type stun guns.

Authorities allege the group recruited and indoctrinated young people, including minors, and encouraged them to commit acts of hatred, discrimination and violence, Reuters reported. Spanish outlet El Español said those detained included well-known far-right figures Isabel Peralta and Alberto Pugilato. Key members had already been barred from leaving Spain, had their passports withdrawn and were ordered to report to court every week.

Núcleo Nacional describes itself as a political movement seeking a "national awakening." It drew heightened scrutiny for its anti-immigration rallies after thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, in July. In a video posted on X, a representative of the group called the case "persecution and political repression," Al Jazeera reported. Group representatives could not be reached for comment by Reuters.

The ruling lands at a charged political moment. Spain holds a general election on Nov. 29, and the decision came a day after the country's first nationwide general strike in 14 years, Al Jazeera noted. Focus Plus Media will follow how the case develops and how it plays into the campaign's debate over immigration and public order.