Right-wing extremism

The head of the AfD in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has to appear in court once again for using a Nazi slogan. Höcke was already convicted in May for using the same slogan. Does the AfD lack a more critical approach to problematic people in its own party?

Slow start to the trial

The new trial against one of the AfD’s best-known faces at the Halle Regional Court is currently making slow progress. Before the indictment was read out, Björn Höcke’s defense lawyers filed several motions in which they questioned the jurisdiction of the Regional Court. They also described the trial as a media “barrage” in terms of public interest, which made a fair and objective trial almost impossible. The 52-year-old’s two defense lawyers argued for the proceedings to be discontinued. However, after several interruptions, the court rejected Höcke’s lawyers’ request.

This is what Björn Höcke is accused of

According to the indictment, Höcke is said to have chanted the slogan “Everything for Germany” at an AfD meeting in Gera in December 2023. After he had uttered the first two words, he is said to have encouraged the audience to complete the slogan by means of a hand gesture.

The slogan “Everything for Germany” is a banned slogan of the paramilitary Sturmabteilung (SA) of the NSDAP. Legally speaking, the slogan falls under paragraph 86a of the Criminal Code (StGB). This criminalizes the distribution of propaganda material of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.

Just a few weeks ago, Höcke was convicted by the Halle Regional Court for this SA slogan because he uttered the slogan at an AfD election campaign event in Merseburg in May 2021. The Halle Regional Court sentenced him to a fine; since Höcke’s defense appealed, the earlier verdict is not yet legally binding.

However, the former history teacher stated in court in May that he did not know the slogan. The court, however, saw the matter differently and concluded that the politician was well aware of the meaning of the slogan and was consciously testing his limits.

Reactions to the process

Höcke claims to be innocent both in interviews and in court. He knows that he would be convicted. In his opinion, however, it does not feel fair to him. With regard to the regulars’ table, the AfD politician said that he could not have expected that the missing passage would be spoken by the guests present. Höcke also appears more than surprised that the slogan, which contains “common words”, is punishable.

The verdict handed down in mid-May had no direct consequences for his candidacy in the state elections in Thuringia. If convicted in the current case, the politician, who is classified as a right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, faces a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine.

The AfD leadership is still keeping quiet about any overly clear criticism of the controversial AfD top politician. AfD chairwoman Alice Weidel recently mentioned in an N-TV interview that the entire process was “a silly process” and only served to “sabotage the top candidate […] to discredit”.

Recent negative headlines, such as the critical top candidates in the European elections, the defeat against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution or the classification as a suspected right-wing extremist case, have at least not had a negative effect on the number of members; on the contrary. With currently around 48,000 members, the AfD leadership expects to be able to congratulate its 50,000th party member very soon.

Our questions to you:

• In your opinion, does the AfD lack a more critical approach to problematic people within its own party?
• Do people like Höcke or other politicians classified as right-wing extremists harm the AfD in the long term?
• Does the public interest in the trial ultimately serve to shift the boundaries of what can be said (freedom of expression vs. the Criminal Code)?
• Should the state combat people with clearly anti-democratic positions more consistently and, if necessary, even exclude them from elections?
• How do you explain the connection between the numerous negative figures and the ever-increasing membership numbers?

We look forward to your answers.

Best regards

Your gutefrage team

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