Germany court fines far-right politician for using Nazi slogan News
Ziko #noAfD van Dijk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Germany court fines far-right politician for using Nazi slogan

A regional court in Halle, Germany fined Björn Höcke, a prominent member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, €16,900 on Monday for publicly using a slogan associated with the Nazi party. Höcke posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) announcing the fine.

During an AfD event in December 2023, Höcke used the phrase “Alles für Deutschland, or “Everything for Germany.” The slogan was previously used by the Nazi Party’s paramilitary Sturmabteilung (SA).In his speech, Höcke spoke the first part of the phrase “Alles für” and encouraged the audience to complete it with “Deutschland.”

Under §86a of the German criminal code, using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organisations is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine. This includes disseminating symbols, such as slogans or greetings of a political party or organization declared unconstitutional. The Nazi party (NSDAP) and its affiliated groups, such as the SA and the Schutzstaffel (SS), are classified as unconstitutional organizations under §86 (1) Nr. 4 of the German criminal code.

Höcke had previously been fined €13,000 in May for using the same slogan during a 2021 speech.

In the current case, the prosecutor demanded an eight-month prison sentence and a two-year ban on holding political office for Höcke. Höcke is currently a member of the Thüringen parliament. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Höcke claimed that the verdict went against a democratic constitutional state and questioned the political motivations of the judiciary. His legal team argued that the slogan was a generic phrase not exclusively linked to the SA.

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