German court bans neo-Nazi anti-G8 march

BERLIN (AFP) - A planned march of Germany's biggest neo-Nazi group to protest against next week's G8 summit was banned by a court on Saturday hours before it was to begin because of the risk of violence.

The demonstration by the National Democratic Party (NPD) in the eastern city of Schwerin was to have coincided with a larger anti-G8 protest in Rostock on Saturday where organisers expect 100,000 people to protest.

A court in the northeastern town of Greifswald confirmed a judgement from a court in Schwerin, where the march was to have taken place.

The court said the risks of violence posed by the NPD march "could not be managed because of the substantial deployment of security forces for the G8 summit."

An NPD spokesman said buses carrying party members to Schwerin had diverted to the port city of Rostock where the the anti-globalisation, anti-poverty march was due to take place at about 1100 GMT.

The NPD, which is strongly opposed to immigration, holds seats in the eastern state parliaments of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony.

The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States will meet from Wednesday in the exclusive Baltic resort of Heiligendamm.