Oct 9, 2007, 9:12 GMT
Magdeburg, Germany - Four suspected right-wingers went on trial Tuesday for a brutal attack which put five members of a theatre group in hospital.
The men, aged between 22 and 29, are charged with assaulting the actors after they put on a performance of The Rocky Horror Show in a small town south-west of Berlin.
The actors, whose ages range from 19-32, variously suffered a broken nose and injuries to the jaw, eyes and ribs in the attack in Halberstadt on June 9.
Prosecutors said the assailants all have previous convictions for assault and displaying Nazi emblems, and were on probation at the time of the alleged offence.
Police came under fire for their handling of the case after it emerged that they failed to apprehend one of the suspects near the scene although he was identified by the group.
The officer in charge of the investigation was later suspended.
Investigations showed that the accused targeted the actors because they considered them to be left-wingers.
Legal sources said the trail was expected to last until the end of January.
Germany has witnessed a spate of attacks with right-wing or racial overtones since the Halberstadt incident. Most have occurred in the eastern part of Germany, where Halberstadt is located.
In a widely reported incident in August, a mob of Germans chased a group of Indians through the east German town of Muegeln and tried to kick down the doors of a pizzeria where they had sought refuge.
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