A FAR-RIGHT GERMAN politician has gone on trial today for using a banned Nazi slogan.
Björn Höcke, 52, is the head of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the municipality of Thuringia, one of three former East German states where the party is leading opinion polls ahead of regional elections in September.
He stands accused of using the phrase “Alles fuer Deutschland” (“Everything for Germany”), once a motto of the so-called Sturmabteilung paramilitary group that played a key role in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, during a 2021 campaign rally.
He had also been due to be tried on a second charge of shouting “Everything for…” and inciting the audience to reply “Germany” at an AfD meeting in Thuringia in December.
However, the court decided to separate the proceedings for the second charge, announced earlier this month, because the defence had not had enough time to prepare.
The phrase is illegal in modern-day Germany, along with the Nazi salute and other slogans and symbols from that era.
The former secondary school history teacher claims not to have been aware that the phrase had been used by the Nazis, but prosecutors believe Höcke uttered the words in full knowledge of their “origin and meaning”.
Several hundred protesters gathered outside the court in the central city of Halle today holding banners with slogans such as “Stop the AfD” and “Björn Höcke is a Nazi”.
If convicted, Höcke faces up to three years in prison – something that could complicate his bid in the upcoming elections.
In a post on X (Twitter) on 6 April, Höcke said: “Once again, Germany is at the forefront of persecuting political opponents and suppressing free speech.”
The trial, set to last until mid-May, is one of several controversies the AfD is battling ahead of EU elections in June and regional elections in the autumn in Thuringia, Brandenburg and Saxony.
Founded in 2013, the anti-Islam and anti-immigration AfD saw a surge in popularity on its tenth anniversary last year, seizing on concerns over rising migration, high inflation and economic issues. The party’s gains mirror those made by similar movements in other EU countries in recent years, like in Italy, Greece, The Netherlands and, most recently, Portugal.
But its support has wavered somewhat since the start of this year as it contends with scandals including allegations that senior party members were paid to spread pro-Russian positions on a Moscow-financed news website.
Considered an extremist by German intelligence services, Höcke is one of the most controversial AfD personalities, having called Berlin’s Holocaust monument a “memorial of shame” and urged a “180-degree shift” in the country’s culture of remembrance.
Höcke’s motto is: “The EU must die for the true Europe to live.”
He also subscribes to the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory, which posits that the native (white) people of Europe are being wiped out and replaced by immigrants from African and particularly majority Muslim countries.
Once again, Germany is at the forefront of persecuting political opponents and suppressing free speech. On April 18, I will stand trial in Halle. I am charged with the crime of using an alleged quote in which I expressed my patriotism „incorrectly“.
— Björn Höcke (@BjoernHoecke) April 6, 2024
I invite you to come to Halle…
At the hearing today, Höcke’s lawyers interrupted the trial several times, including to ask that the proceedings be recorded – a request denied by the court.
Prosecutor Benedikt Bernzen described the interruptions as “scandalous”.
Germany’s domestic security agency has labelled the AfD in Thuringia a “confirmed” extremist organisation, along with the party’s regional branches in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
However, Johannes Kiess, a political scientist at the University of Leipzig, said the outcome of the trial was unlikely to dent support for Höcke in Thuringia.
AfD supporters in the region are “convinced that the democratic institutions are out to get him”, Kiess told the AFP news agency.
“It could even be good for him, because the media are talking about him,” he said.
But the trial could sway voters in western Germany because it risks “damaging the party’s image”, Kiess continued.
“Potential voters do not want to be associated with this kind of statement.”
Includes reporting from AFP
Need more clarity and context on how migration is being discussed in Ireland, the UK and the EU? Check out our new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say