A leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was tried on Thursday for using a banned Nazi slogan, as hundreds of people demonstrated outside the courtroom against his party’s policies.
The AfD chairman in the state of Thuringia, Björn Höcke, is in court in the eastern city of Halle on charges that he knowingly used a banned slogan of the Storm Troopers (SA), the Nazi paramilitary fighting organization, during a speech in 2021. .
Höcke, a controversial figure within the AfD, is formally accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse to protest the policies of Höcke and his party. Police estimated that about 570 people attended the peaceful demonstration.
The demonstrators included the group “Halle gegen Rechts” (Halle against the Right) and anti-fascist groups.
Before the trial, Höcke, a former history teacher, defended his choice of words, explaining that he did not know what the slogan was about.
The 52-year-old plans to stand as the party’s top candidate in the central state of Thuringia in the state elections on September 1. It is one of three elections in the eastern German states in September, where the AfD is expected to score high.
The anti-migration party is classified as right-wing extremist in the state and is being monitored by the domestic intelligence service, officially known as the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
In concrete terms, the lawsuit concerns the alleged use of the SA slogan “Everything for Germany!”
Höcke is said to have used it once in May 2021 in the city of Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt, which is the focus of the trial.
He is also accused of using the phrase during a speech in the town of Gera in Thuringia, and is further said to have encouraged his audience with gestures to join in shouting the slogan.
However, the speech in Thuringia will not be part of Thursday’s proceedings as Höcke’s new legal team has not had time to prepare its defense regarding this speech.
According to a court spokeswoman, the possible punishment ranges from a fine to a prison sentence of three years.
