A court has convicted one of the best known figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Bjorn Hocke of using a Nazi slogan in a speech and ordered him to pay a fine.

Berlin

Björn Höcke, a notable figure in Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has been fined for using a Nazi slogan during a speech. A court convicted Höcke for his utterance of "everything for Germany" to a gathering of AfD supporters, citing the phrase's historical association with Adolf Hitler's paramilitary forces, the Stormtroopers (SA). This verdict comes after a series of legal challenges faced by Höcke, who has spent considerable time both campaigning and defending his speech before the court.

The prosecution argued that Höcke's speech violated section 86a of the German criminal code, which prohibits the use of symbols, phrases, and gestures associated with unconstitutional organizations. The court determined the context of Höcke's remarks as crucial, dismissing the defense's argument that the phrase had been used publicly by others without legal consequences. This ruling underscores the heightened scrutiny on the AfD's rhetoric and its implications within Germany.

In addition to Höcke's legal troubles, the AfD has faced increasing public and legal scrutiny. Recent controversies include discussions among party members about the forcible deportation of migrants who have obtained German citizenship, and a court decision allowing the security services to monitor the AfD as a suspected extremist entity. These developments have negatively impacted the party's standing in opinion polls, with support diminishing from one in four voters to fewer than one in six. The AfD's previously strong positions in several eastern German states, where elections are set for September, have also weakened.



German court fines politician for using Nazi slogan

For weeks, Björn Höcke has been dividing his time between the campaign trail and the courtroom, arguing for votes in the street and acquittal in this trial. Prosecutors said his use of the phrase, ''everything for Germany'' to a crowd of AfD supporters was illegal, effectively repeating the slogan of Adolf Hitler's Stormtroopers, or SR. The fact that the court found that the speech and the phrase used by the accused was a punishable offence under section 86a of a criminal code can be seen as confirming our position. Höcke's defence had argued that since other public figures had used the phrase before without facing prosecution, why couldn't he? But the judges said it was the context of the comments that mattered and found him guilty. Although Höcke is leader of the AfD in just one state, one analyst believes he is the party's real driving force nationally. I think he already took over the party a long time ago, and you could see that the two chairpersons are very carefully looking into how they comment on things actually in relation to what their Flügel and some of their representatives actually said. The past few months have been difficult for the AfD. In January, a wave of public protest followed reports that prominent members had secretly discussed forcibly deporting migrants who've become German citizens. On Monday, a court ruled the security services can continue treating the AfD as a suspected extremist party, all of which has hurt the party in the opinion polls. In January, around one in four voters said they supported it. Now fewer than one in six do. Previously commanding leads in three eastern German states where elections are being held in September have been eroded. So although this court has now delivered its verdict on Björn Höcke, the voters in his state won't get to deliver theirs until September. Dominic Cain, Al Jazeera, Halle.

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