German politicians debated on Wednesday whether banning the far-right National Democratic Party would help curb extremist violence after a media outcry over a mystery bombing last week which Jewish immigrants.

The call for a ban was raised Tuesday by the conservative interior minister for the federal state of Bavaria, who said the NPD promoted neo-Nazism and was a threat to German democracy. Guenther Beckstein's appeal came after much soul-searching in a country still haunted by its Nazi past following a bomb blast in Duesseldorf last week which injured 10 people including six Jews. Police say the bomb may have been planted by extremists. Environment Minister Juergen Trittin, a member of the environmentalist Greens who rule in coalition with the Social Democrats, said the authorities should examine a possible ban of the NPD, which attracts a large skinhead following. But Cem Ozdemir, Greens spokesman for interior affairs in the lower house of parliament, said a ban would not help. Germany's post-war constitution allows for the banning of parties and organizations that threaten the democratic order. West Germany banned the Communist Party in 1956 and smaller neo-Nazi organizations have been outlawed more recently. NPD spokesman Klaus Beier said the party did not take the call for a ban seriously and said it welcomed the media focus on the right wing because it gave the party free advertising and boosted interest in its Internet site.