A Spanish judge has ordered the suspension of ultra-right group Núcleo Nacional, shutting down its offices and freezing its bank accounts and social media profiles as part of an investigation into alleged hate crimes and illegal association.
The ruling was issued by a court in the northern city of Gijón, where the case is being heard. It follows the arrest of 14 members of the group last week on suspicion of inciting hatred against vulnerable groups and people with opposing ideologies. Police also searched the group’s headquarters in Madrid and other locations, seizing more than 20 firearms, some of them unlicensed, along with large quantities of ammunition and other illegal weapons.
The suspension covers both the group’s in-person activities and its online presence. Its offices in Madrid, Burgos and Valladolid have been ordered shut, and its social media profiles blocked, according to Spanish press reports of the ruling. Key members had already been placed under precautionary measures, including a ban on leaving Spain and a requirement to report weekly to a court.
Authorities allege the group recruited and indoctrinated young people, including minors, encouraging them to carry out acts of hatred, discrimination and violence against vulnerable groups. The investigation began after violent incidents in Gijón and has, according to investigators, uncovered an organised network with contacts among like-minded groups in other countries.
Núcleo Nacional, which describes itself as a political movement seeking a “national awakening”, has come under growing scrutiny from Spanish authorities over its anti-immigration rhetoric, particularly after July’s mass crossing by thousands of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, where its members staged anti-immigration rallies.
The case remains open and no one has been convicted: the allegations are still being investigated and criminal responsibility has yet to be determined. Representatives of the group could not be reached for comment.
The ruling comes just over two weeks before Spain holds a general election on 29 November, called after parliament rejected housing decrees put forward by the caretaker government. The vote follows Wednesday’s general strike over the cost of housing, the first in Spain in 14 years.
Sources: Reuters, “Spanish judge suspends prominent ultra-right group Nucleo Nacional” (https://www.reuters.com/world/spanish-judge-suspends-prominent-ultra-right-group-nucleo-nacional-2026-11-12/); Demócrata, “The judge orders the cessation of Núcleo Nacional and the closure of its offices and social media networks” (https://www.democrata.es/en/politics/the-judge-orders-the-cessation-of-nucleo-nacional-and-the-closure-of-its-offices-and-social-media-networks/).
