He would not have used a Nazi saying if he had known it was banned – Thuringia’s AfD leader asserts in court. The public prosecutor sees it completely differently.
With history books in hand and a penetrating look at the audience, AfD politician Björn Höcke protested his ignorance in front of the regional court in Halle. “I am actually completely innocent,” he said on the second day of the trial about the accusation of knowingly using a banned Nazi saying.
If he had known what the SA slogan “Everything for Germany” was about, he “certainly wouldn’t have used it,” said the 52-year-old. The public prosecutor sees it differently. Her accusation: The former history teacher knew what he was doing. He is therefore accused of using the symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.
Starting point: Speech by Höcke in Merseburg
The trial began last Thursday at the regional court in the Saale city. The starting point is a speech that Höcke gave in May 2021 in Merseburg (Saxony-Anhalt). Towards the end of the 20-minute speech he said “Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany.”
The Green Party politician Sebastian Striegel filed a complaint against Höcke. He referred to a report by the Bundestag’s scientific service, according to which using the phrase “Everything for Germany” in a speech at a meeting is punishable. On the second day of the main hearing, a video was played in court that also showed Höcke’s speech. In addition, before Höcke’s admission, the police officer who had recorded Striegel’s complaint was also questioned as a witness.
During Tuesday’s hearing it also became clear that Höcke would likely face a maximum fine if convicted. The court made a statement that, as things currently stand, no prison sentence and therefore no deprivation of Höcke’s ability to hold office are to be expected, said court spokeswoman Adina Kessler-Jensch.
The punishment range for the accused case includes a fine up to three years in prison, said the spokeswoman. If the defendant were to be sentenced to a prison sentence of six months, the court could, as a side effect, declare that the defendant would be denied active and passive eligibility and also his ability to hold office.
In the past, Thuringia’s AfD leader Höcke said he worked as a history teacher in Hesse for 15 years. The politician believes that the fact that he studied history does not mean that he must have known about the banned SA slogan. In his statement, he described himself as a “law-abiding citizen.” He also emphasized: “I have nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with National Socialism.” Höcke described the SA slogan as an “everyday saying”.
Höcke defends choice of words as an interpretation of “America First”
Even before the trial opened, Höcke had defended his choice of words. He said that he used the slogan in a free campaign speech and ultimately translated Donald Trump’s “America First” into German in a freely interpretable way. In Merseburg, shortly before his speech, the title of the AfD’s election program in Saxony-Anhalt caught his eye. He then spontaneously formulated the triad for the end of his speech.
After Höcke’s statement, the public prosecutor’s office questioned the politician – among other things, about several other proceedings against other AfD politicians. According to the public prosecutor’s office, they also used the banned saying, whether in speeches or on posters. Höcke said he didn’t know anything about it.
Höcke as the AfD’s top candidate in Thuringia
The 52-year-old wants to run as his party’s top candidate in the state elections in Thuringia on September 1st. The AfD is classified and monitored by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Thuringia as definitely right-wing extremist.
His client is innocent “because the evidence has shown that there is clearly no intent and that this cannot be proven,” explained Höcke’s lawyer, Ulrich Vosgerau, after the end of the hearing on Tuesday. The defense is therefore assuming an acquittal. According to the lawyer, it is a fact that Höcke did not know about the ban on SA slogans. In Vosgerau’s opinion, the fact that Höcke is a former history teacher does not play a role in the verdict.
The trial in Halle is the first of its kind against Höcke. In December last year, Höcke is said to have used the saying again during an appearance in Gera. However, this case is currently not part of the hearing in Halle. In the future, the politician, who was born in North Rhine-Westphalia, will also have to answer in court for further allegations. An indictment against him on charges of incitement to hatred was admitted at the Mühlhausen regional court – there are no dates for the trial there yet.
Due to the great public interest, the trial will not take place directly in the regional court in Halle, but in a larger courtroom in the justice center. Further trial dates are planned until mid-May. However, this could change as the negotiations progress.
