New anti neo-Nazi police unit in the German state of Brandenburg

The former East German state of Brandenburg, close to the capital Berlin, has announced plans to set up a special police unit dedicated to fighting neo-Nazi violence.

The state's interior minister, Alwin Ziel said the thirty five strong force would work mainly at night and at weekends, looking for troublespots and breaking up illegal gatherings.

Official statistics show that neo-Nazi crime rates in what was East Germany are much higher due mainly to higher unemployment.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service