Far-right German politician guilty of using Nazi slogan

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - A prominent far-right German politician has been found guilty of knowingly using a banned Nazi slogan in a speech, media reports said Monday.

A regional court in the eastern city of Halle sentenced Bjorn Hocke, who leads the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the state of Thuringia, to pay a total of €16,900 ($18,000), according to private broadcaster n-tv.

The 52-year-old was also found guilty of using the license plates of unconstitutional and terrorist groups. Presiding Judge Jan Stengel said a prison sentence was not appropriate, but added that Hocke's status as perpetrator cannot be questioned. The verdict can be appealed.

Prosecutors charged Hocke because in December 2023 he uttered the first two words of the Nazi slogan "Everything for Germany" at an AfD gathering in the eastern town of Gera. The audience completed the slogan. From the prosecutor's perspective, the politician knew that the audience would say the third word and made an "almost inviting arm movement" to do so. The saying was once used by the SA, the paramilitary fighting organization of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party.

Stengel said no negative reaction could be seen from Hocke in the video of the speech, "but rather a facial expression of approval." Hocke wanted everyone to complete the Nazi slogan, and tested the limits of what could be said, said the court.

Prosecutors had demanded an eight-month prison sentence for the defendant, to be suspended, plus his paying €10,000 to a non-profit group such as the Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial. The politician, who is running as his party's top candidate in the Thuringian state Sept. 1 elections, pleaded innocent and sought acquittal.

Hocke had already been sentenced for a similar offense by the Halle regional court in May to a fine totaling €13,000. He used the slogan in 2021 at an election campaign event in the eastern town of Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt. The decision is not legally binding because Hocke appealed.