A German district court in Halle on Tuesday fined Björn Höcke, a leading figure in the Alternative for Germany (AfD), 13,000 euros for using “Nazi symbols”.
Höcke, the leader of the AfD in the eastern German state of Thuringia, publicly used the phrase “Alles für Deutschland” (“All for Germany”), a slogan of the SA, the paramilitary wing of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party, on three occasions.
The phrase itself and other specific symbols, such as the Nazi salute, are grounds for prosecution in Germany. “You are an articulate, intelligent man who knows what he is talking about,” Judge Jan Stengel told Höcke as he announced the sentence.
The 13,000 euro fine is not yet final, as it can be appealed within a week.
“Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany,” Höcke, who is seen as the unofficial leader of the party’s ethno-nationalist (völkisch) wing, said in Merseburg in May 2021, using the banned phrase.
Höcke is expected to be the AfD’s first candidate in the Thuringian state elections in September.
While the court only fined the politician for this incident, Höcke is accused of using the phrase several times. These were presented as evidence in court to explain his deliberate use of the phrase, which was the main topic of discussion during the trial.
The judge stated that the defendant had “seriously questioned” the cloak of freedom of expression.
The prosecution requested a suspended sentence for the Thuringian politician, meaning that he will have to serve a probationary period during which he must obey the law, otherwise the basic prison sentence will apply.
“Höcke has revived an often forgotten slogan and made it socially acceptable,” the prosecutor said.
Höcke defended himself by saying that he did not know that “All for Germany” was a slogan used by the SA.
