A Finnish district court in Tampere has declared the Finnish neo-Nazi Nordic Resitance Movement illegal due to its “unlawful” activities.

According to an YLE report, the District Court, declared that one of the primary purposes of the group is to violate Finnish democratic values.

In its resolution, the Pirkanmaan District Court also said that the movement actively engages in and disseminates hate speech.

The association encourages its supporters to engage in violence and harass alleged enemies.

The ruling stated that the association’s activities are not protected within the rights of association and freedom of speech, since they violate the fundamental human rights of others.

Last year a member of the Finnish Nordic Resistance Movement, Jesse Torniainen, was sentenced to two years in jail for committing aggravated assault at a demonstration in Helsinki. The victim of the assault later died in hospital.

Northern Tradition Association Abolished

The District Court also ruled that another extremist group, Northern Tradition Association which is closely associated with the Nordic Resistance Movement, has also been abolished.

“Racist communication,” was considered to be among their activities according to the court ruling. The Association must cease all of its business activity, including the publication of its Magneettimedia magazine and an online store.

The Nordic Resistance Movement was founded in the mid-1990s, by former members of Sweden’s White Aryan Resistance (Swedish: Vitt Ariskt Motstånd, also known as VAM). They formed the Svenska motståndsrörelsen (SMR) or the Swedish Resistance Movement.

In 2016, a Nordic Resistance Movement was formed with separate departments in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. The Nordic Resistance Movement advocates an immediate stop to immigration to the Nordic countries, and the explusion of people who are not of North European descent. It also advocates Nordic self-sufficiency and withdrawal from the European Union.

Members of the Finnish branch of the neo-Nazi group have participated in combat training arranged by the organization. The organization is also increasingly violent, including attacks at anti-racism and gay pride rallies in Finland.