Germany's upper house of the parliament Bundesrat passed a bill on Friday to impose strict restrictions on neo-Nazi demonstrations.

The bill, which bans rallies by neo-Nazis in sensitive areas including Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and the nearby Holocaust memorial, has been approved by the lower house of the parliament Bundestag.

It will take effect once it is signed by President Horst Koehler and published next month.

The move made it easier for German authorities to prohibit neo-Nazi gatherings near memorials to victims of the Nazis.

The change will also enable the government to block a planned march by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) at the Brandenburg Gate on May 8.

The NPD's intention to march raised alarm among politicians and people in Germany. The government intends to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 8 at the Brandenburg Gate instead of at the Reichstag to prevent neo-Nazi groups marching at the historic location.

In January, the NPD staged a walkout and refused to observe a minute's silence in the Saxony parliament for millions of Nazi victims, prompting calls to ban the party.

Last September, the NPD shocked Germans by winning 9.2 percent of the vote in elections in the eastern German state of Saxony gaining 12 seats in the state parliament.

Source: Xinhua