- Title: Germany's far right leader Hoecke held responsible in court
- Date: 18th April 2024
- Summary: HALLE AN DER SAALE, GERMANY (APRIL 18, 2024) (REUTERS) FAR-RIGHT PARTY ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY (AFD) LEADER BJOERN HOECKE ARRIVING AT COURT WITH LAWYERS / HOECKE LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF AUDIENCE MEMBERS AT COURT HOECKE STANDING, LOOKING ON / POLICE WALKING INTO COURT ROOM JOURNALIST FILMING PERSON LEAVING ROOM AND CLOSING DOOR CARS WITH HOECKE ARRIVING POLICE LOOKING ON COURT BUILDING COURT SPOKESPERSON ADINA KESSLER JENSCH GIVING STATEMENT (SOUNDBITE) (German) COURT SPOKESPERSON ADINA KESSLER JENSCH, SAYING: "The defendant is accused of using the symbols of a former National Socialist organisation. In this sense, symbols can also be slogans used by a National Socialist organisation to draw attention to its goals for propaganda purposes. Specifically, the accused allegedly gave a speech at an election campaign event organised by the Alternative for Germany party in Merseburg, Saxony-Anhalt, in May 2021. He allegedly ended this speech with the phrase 'Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany'. He is said to have known that the last part of the phrase was a banned slogan of the Sturmabteilung ("Storm Division") of the NSDAP.” SECURITY CHECK AT COURT (SOUNDBITE) (German) COURT SPOKESPERSON ADINA KESSLER JENSCH, SAYING: "If convicted, the accused could face a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years. In addition, the court could disqualify him from holding office and also from voting and standing for election if he receives a prison sentence of six months or more.” JENSCH ENDING STATEMENT VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH BANNER READING (German) "STOPP AFD! LEGALLY, POLITICALLY, SOCIALLY" PROTESTER WITH SIGN READING (German) "BJOERN HOECKE IS A NAZI" SIGN READING (German) "BJOERN HOECKE IS A NAZI" (SOUNDBITE) (German) FEDERAL CHAIRMAN OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PERSECUTEES OF THE NAZI REGIME – FEDERATION OF ANTIFASCISTS (VVN-BDA), FLORIAN GUTSCHE, SAYING: "We are here today because Björn Höcke is clearly a Nazi who, with his slogans, wants to make anti-Semitism and social Darwinism acceptable again and make it clear to Germany that Nazi slogans can be spoken and Nazi ideology can be practised - with his AfD, which is completely dominated by fascist forces, continuously violates human dignity every day here in this country, trampling it underfoot. And we are protesting against him and we are protesting against his party. We believe that it should be banned.” ELDERLY WOMEN STANDING WITH UMBRELLAS WITH WRITING READING (German) "GRANNIES AGAINST THE RIGHT" (SOUNDBITE) (German) MEMBER OF "GRANNIES AGAINST THE RIGHT", ANNE-MARIE MUELLER-BAHLKE, SAYING: "We want to show that we in Halle are diverse, that we are against Nazis and that we also stand up for a democratic society - we would like to preserve that, and that is why we are here.” PROTESTERS WITH SIGNS READING (German) "HOECKE BEHIND BARS" and "NO POWER TO THE NAZIS" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WITH BANNER READING (German) "STOPP AFD! LEGALLY, POLITICALLY, SOCIALLY" PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING SIGN READING (German, with play on words) "DISGUSTING AFD" BANNER READING (German) "HOECKE / DO THE PROCESS / FASCISM IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE! " POLICE LOOKING ON SIGN READING (German) "NO POWER TO THE NEW NAZIS" PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING
- Embargoed: 2nd May 2024 08:55
- Keywords: AfD Alternative for Germany Bjoern Hoecke Hoecke NSDAP Nazi SA
- Location: HALLE AN DER SAALE, GERMANY
- City: HALLE AN DER SAALE, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Europe,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA001608918042024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party appeared in court on Thursday (April 18) charged with using a banned slogan used by the Nazi party's paramilitary wing.
Bjoern Hoecke, head of the AfD in the eastern state of Thuringia which holds an election in September, is part of the nationalist wing of the AfD, officially designated by the domestic intelligence agency as 'rightwing extremist'.
A few dozen protesters gathered outside the court room in the eastern city of Halle holding placards with the words: "Bjoern Hoecke is a Nazi" before he arrived in the court room dressed in a dark suit and white shirt.
Prosecutors say Hoecke ended a campaign speech in the eastern town of Merseburg in May 2021 with the words "Everything for Germany." This phrase is banned in Germany as it was a slogan used by Hitler's SA stormtroopers.
His lawyers argue he did not know the words were banned and Hoecke himself, a history teacher, said last week in a television debate he was unaware of the origin of the phrase.
He has also been charged with using the term at a party event in Dec. 2023 in Gera.
If convicted, Hoecke would face a fine or possibly a prison sentence. The trial is set to continue until at least mid-May.
The AfD, second in most national polls behind the opposition conservative bloc, has faced scrutiny since reports in January that some senior party figures had discussed the deportation of people with non-ethnic German backgrounds at a meeting.
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