Spain shuts down a far-right group’s office, website and bank accounts after police seize more than 20 guns, 16 days before the election

Spain has moved to switch off one of its most prominent far-right groups. A judge at a court in Gijón, in the northern region of Asturias, has suspended the activities of Núcleo Nacional, ordering its office closed and its website, social media content and bank accounts blocked. The court announced the order on Thursday.

The order is part of a criminal investigation into alleged hate crimes and illegal association. It does not, on its own, mean anyone has been found guilty, and the length of the suspension has not been made public.

What led to this?

Last week police arrested 14 members of the group on suspicion of inciting hatred against vulnerable groups and against people with opposing political views. Officers searched the group’s headquarters in Madrid and other locations, seizing more than 20 firearms, some of them unlicensed, plus large quantities of ammunition and other illegal weapons.

Key members are already under court-ordered precautionary measures: they are banned from leaving Spain and must report to a court every week.

Investigators allege the group recruited and indoctrinated young people, including minors, and encouraged them to commit acts of hatred, discrimination and violence against vulnerable groups.

What does the group say?

In a video posted on X, an unnamed representative wearing a black shirt with the group’s logo said the movement was a victim of persecution and political repression, with the message “They won’t beat us.”

Núcleo Nacional describes itself as a political movement seeking a “national awakening” and says it wants to build a community of trained activists.

Why has it drawn so much attention?

Its anti-immigration rhetoric came under heavy scrutiny after thousands of migrants crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in July, when the group held rallies there. In early October, during mass protests over Spain’s housing crisis, the government said far-right activists, some giving Nazi salutes, tried to reach demonstrators in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, and police arrested three members of a far-right group.

Why does the timing matter?

Spain votes in a snap general election on 29 November, and the suspension lands in the middle of the campaign, a day after the country’s first nationwide general strike in 14 years, called over housing costs.

The group’s supporters are already framing the order as political. How the courts handle the case from here will be watched well beyond Spain, as governments across Europe weigh how far they can go against extremist groups without being accused of silencing opponents.