A leading member of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party went on trial on Thursday for using a banned Nazi slogan, as hundreds 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 to face allegations that he knowingly used a banned slogan of the Storm Troopers (SA), the Nazi paramilitary fighting organization, during a speech in 2021.
A controversial figure within the AfD, Höcke is formally charged with using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the court building to protest Höcke and his party’s policies. Police estimated that some 570 people attended the peaceful demonstration.
The protesters included the group “Halle gegen Rechts” (Halle against the right) and anti-fascist groups.
Ahead of the trial, Höcke, a former history teacher, defended his choice of words and explained that he had not known 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 state elections on September 1. They are one of three elections in eastern German states in September where the AfD is expected to poll highly.
The anti-migration party has been 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.
Specifically, the trial concerns the alleged use of the SA slogan “Everything for Germany!”
Höcke is said to have used it once in the town of Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt in May 2021, which is the focus of the trial.
He is also accused of using the phrase during a speech in the city of Gera in Thuringia, and furthermore said to have encouraged his audience with gestures to join in shouting out the slogan.
The speech in Thuringia however will not be part of Thursday’s proceedings, as Höcke’s new legal team has not had time to prepare his defence regarding this speech.
According to a court spokeswoman, the possible penalty ranges from a fine to a prison sentence of three years.
