German states plan tougher line on far-right crime

BERLIN, Aug 18 (Reuters) Two east German states are proposing tougher new laws for far-right criminals in response to a sharp rise in racist violence, officials said.

The states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt want to change federal law so that courts can hand offenders harsher sentences where a racist motive is involved.

''We need to react forcefully to the problem of right-wing extremism,'' said Ute Albersmann, a spokeswoman for the justice ministry in Saxony-Anhalt.

''Racially motivated attacks are special -- they spread fear through whole communities.'' The states will bring their proposals to the federal parliament next month. If approved, the plans would make bail more difficult for racially motivated violent offenders and stop fines replacing short prison terms.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to combat right-wing violence but critics say that the money spent on campaigns to draw people away from radical ideology is inadequate.

More than 60 years after the Holocaust, neo-Nazi violence in Germany has reached its highest level since reunification in 1990. The problem is particularly serious in eastern Germany.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany welcomed the initiative, describing it as ''an important step in the fight against extremism and racism''.

Critics said changing the law was unnecessary and the proposals were simply a public relations exercise after a bungled response by Saxony-Anhalt police to a brutal neo-Nazi attack in May caused a national outcry.

Reuters SV SZ VP0422