A leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party appeared in court on Thursday 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 courtroom in the eastern city of Halle, holding placards with the words: "Bjoern Hoecke is a Nazi" before he arrived in the courtroom dressed in a dark suit and white shirt.
After Hoecke's lawyers tried to delay the start of proceedings by bringing several technical motions that were rejected, the charge sheet was read out.
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.
Possible prison sentence on the horizon
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.
Outside the court building, Florian Gutsche was protesting.
"(Hoecke) wants to show Nazi slogans can be spoken and Nazi ideology can be practiced with the AfD, which is dominated by fascist forces," said the head of the VVN-BDA anti-fascist group.