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The Thuringian AfD leader Björn Höcke is charged. Did he consciously use an SA slogan? A verdict could mean the end of his political career.
Update from April 18th, 4:18 p.m: AfD right winger Höcke appears “unusually tense” in the court case, reports now AFP from the courtroom. His lawyers kept the regional court busy with applications for a full four hours. Only then did the public prosecutor present the charges within two minutes, the report said.
The otherwise self-confident Höcke tried to exude composure at the start of the trial. But his face sometimes appears clearly tense, it was said. As he entered the courtroom, he gave the two prosecutors opposite a long look, but appeared “uncertain” on the day of the trial.
Höcke does not initially testify, he only provides a few personal details. He is not expected to comment on the allegations until Tuesday, the wrote AFP.
Höcke trial: “Never experienced” – public prosecutor outraged by AfD lawyers
Update from April 18th, 1:20 p.m: Clear Delays in the Höcke process: Höcke’s lawyers had, among other things, demanded that the Federal Constitutional Court decide whether the regional court in Halle or the district court in Merseburg is responsible for the hearing.
The public prosecutor’s office expressed its anger at the defense lawyers’ actions. Prosecutor Benedikt Bernzen said he had never experienced anything like this.
Höcke process: Application leads to delays
Update from April 18th, 11:41 a.m: Several interruptions mark the start of the Höcke trial: Even before the charges were read out, one of Höcke’s lawyers requested that the entire main hearing be documented via audio recording. The public prosecutor noted that such a request was not admissible in this case.
Update from April 18th, 10:53 a.m: The first day of the trial against Björn Höcke has begun at the regional court in Halle. First of all, it can be assumed that – as usual – the indictment will be read out. The AfD politician then has the opportunity to comment on the allegations himself or through his defense lawyer.
Prelude to the Höcke trial: Thuringian AfD leader in court for Nazi slogans
First report: Halle – The Thuringian AfD leader Björn Höcke has to answer before the regional court in Halle on Thursday (April 18th, from 9 a.m.). The reason is a banned slogan from the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary fighting organization of the NSDAP, which the AfD state leader from Thuringia is said to have used in two speeches. The public prosecutor’s office accuses him of using the symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Just a week ago, the former history teacher denied on television that he knew that it was a banned slogan.
Höcke, who has already been investigated several times, is the Thuringian AfD’s top candidate for the state elections on September 1st. In addition to the trial in Halle, an indictment was also admitted at the regional court in Mühlhausen (Thuringia). This is about the accusation of sedition. The Thuringian regional association is classified and monitored by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution as definitely right-wing extremist. If convicted in the Hall trial, the penalty ranges from a fine to a prison sentence of up to three years. The presumption of innocence applies until a possible conviction. Four days of negotiations have been scheduled so far.
The allegations against AfD politician Björn Höcke: SA slogans used on purpose?
The starting point for the accusation against Höcke is a speech that he gave in May 2021 in Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt (Saalekreis). He is said to have said: “Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany”. The then Saxony-Anhalt Green Party leader Sebastian Striegel filed a complaint against the AfD politician and referred to a Appraise of the Scientific Service of the Bundestag, according to which using the phrase “Everything for Germany” in a speech at a meeting is punishable.
Last year, the Halle public prosecutor brought charges. She accuses Höcke of knowing about the origin and meaning of the slogan. According to the public prosecutor’s office at the time, Höcke’s lawyers denied the criminal relevance of his statement.
The politician is also accused of having used the slogan again last December at an AfD event in Gera, Thuringia – his appearance in Merseburg and the legal consequences had long been a topic in the media. In Gera, as a speaker, Höcke is said to have said the first part “Everything for” himself and used gestures to encourage the audience to shout “Germany”.
Höcke protests innocence in TV duel – demonstrations expected on the first day of the trial
Even before the trial began, Höcke commented on the allegations on television. He defended his choice of words in a TV duel against the Thuringian CDU-Top candidate Mario Voigt. He used the slogan in a free campaign speech and ultimately translated Donald Trump’s slogan “America First” into German in a freely interpreting way, he told the broadcaster a week before the trial began World. When asked whether he didn’t know during the speech that “Everything for Germany” was an SA slogan, he said: “No, I didn’t know.” It was a common saying.
The indictment is expected to be read out on the first day of the main hearing, as is usual in court proceedings. Höcke then has the opportunity to respond to the allegations either personally or through his defense attorney. The AfDler is defended by a lawyer from Erfurt. He explained to the German press agencythat the decision as to whether he or his client will respond to the allegations will be made spontaneously.
At the beginning of the hearing there are likely to be protests in front of the court – for example, the “Association of those persecuted by the Nazi regime – Association of Antifascists” has called for demonstrations. The trial will take place in the security wing of the justice center in Halle. In order to ensure that the main hearing runs smoothly, the court ordered, among other things, entrance controls.
Höcke’s ambitions to become prime minister – conviction could end the AfD politician’s political career
Höcke wants to become Prime Minister of Thuringia. He is considered to have no chance because none of the parties previously represented in the state parliament want to form a coalition with the AfD. He wants to apply for a direct mandate in the Greiz district in eastern Thuringia. The Thuringian electoral law states that anyone who is excluded from the right to vote or who “as a result of a judge’s ruling does not have the eligibility or ability to hold public office” cannot be elected.
Under certain conditions, the court could theoretically decide that Höcke temporarily loses his right to vote and to stand for election. A prerequisite for this would be that Höcke is sentenced to a prison sentence of at least six months. In addition, the party law states that people who are not eligible to vote or vote due to a judge’s ruling cannot be members of a party. However, it remains unclear whether there will be a conviction at all. (lismah/dpa)