BERLIN (AP) - A small town in Germany's far east braced Friday for the arrival of hundreds of neo-Nazis planning to attend a music festival timed to coincide with Adolf Hitler's birthday.
Police in Germany and neighboring Poland were checking people arriving in Ostritz for the 'Shield and Sword festival.'
The two-day event is expected to attract up to 1,000 far-right extremists from Germany, the neighboring Czech Republic and Poland.
Authorities have been unable to stop the concert from happening because it is taking place on private property, but a court on Friday confirmed a ban on the consumption of alcohol during the event. Judges said the neo-Nazi bands would likely fire up the crowd and alcohol might make attendees more aggressive.
Civic groups are planning to protest the event at Ostritz, a town of some 2,300 inhabitants on the border with Poland.
The region has long been a hotbed of far-right extremism and the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany received almost 30 percent of the vote in Ostritz in last year's national election.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
(Pawel Sosnowski/dpa via AP). A water canon stands in front of the hotel Neisseblick in Ostritz, Germany Friday, April 20, 2018. A court has banned the consumption of alcohol at a planned neo-Nazi concert in eastern Germany to prevent an outbreak of v...
(Pawel Sosnowski/dpa via AP). A police vehicle stands in front of the hotel Neisseblick in Ostritz, Germany Friday, April 20, 2018. A court has banned the consumption of alcohol at a planned neo-Nazi concert in eastern Germany to prevent an outbreak o...
(Pawel Sosnowski/dpa via AP). This April 18, 2018 photo shows the town sign of Ostritz, Germany. A court has banned the consumption of alcohol at a planned neo-Nazi concert in eastern Germany to prevent an outbreak of violence. The weekend festival in ...