Hall. A verdict has been reached in the trial against AfD politician Björn Höcke. Evidence collection dragged on into the day of the trial.
The regional court in Halle sentenced AfD politician Björn Höcke to a fine for using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. The Halle regional court ruled that he had to pay 100 nights of 130 euros each. The 52-year-old rejected the charges in court.
What is Höcke accused of?
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Höcke knowingly used a slogan from the SA (Sturmabteilung), the paramilitary combat organization of the NSDAP, in a speech in May 2021 in Merseburg. He said there: “Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany.” The third part of the triad is the SA’s banned slogan. The Halle Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses Höcke of knowing the origin and meaning of the slogan. The 52-year-old rejected the charges against him in court.
Among other things, Höcke’s defense lawyers requested the questioning of a historian and former high school teacher. He explained in the morning that the SA slogan, for which Höcke is on trial, “was not particularly present” during the Nazi era. Questioned by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the witness also stated that he had founded the “Institute for State Policy” in Saxony-Anhalt with Götz Kubitschek. This was later classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as definitely right-wing extremist and was recently disbanded.
Before the historian was questioned, the court ruled on several requests for evidence from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the defense. Then, videos were shown. One of them showed an excerpt from the TV duel on the Welt channel, in which Höcke competed against the Thuringian CDU’s main candidate, Mario Voigt, on April 11. In it, the AfD politician also commented on the accusations made against him by the Halle Public Prosecutor’s Office.
A second video shown shows Höcke performing in Gera, Thuringia. There he also used the slogan “Everything for Germany” during a gathering, although he himself did not say the third word, but he made the audience scream. By this time, the outcry about the speech in Merseburg and the investigation had already been a topic in the media for a long time. Meanwhile, the case was supposed to be part of the current hearing in Halle, but it was not.
Defense demands acquittal
The defense demanded acquittal before the regional court in Halle. The saying was actually forgotten, said defense lawyer Ralf Hornemann in his closing speech. It was not Höcke, but the Public Prosecutor’s Office that ensured that many people knew him.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office had already demanded a six-month suspended prison sentence. She accused Höcke of knowingly using the slogan “Everything for Germany” in a speech in Merseburg in May 2021.
Höcke himself addressed the Public Prosecutor’s Office in his final statement. “My impression is that today you did not have the blindfold of Justice over your eyes, Mr. Public Prosecutor’s Office,” said Höcke. “They weren’t looking for moments of relief.” The politician also highlighted several times that he sees freedom of expression as restricted in Germany. The judge warned Höcke that he should comment on the matter and not make a campaign speech.
State elections in Thuringia
The leader of the Thuringian AfD party wants to run as his party’s main candidate in the state elections in Thuringia on September 1st. It is unlikely that a decision by the regional court will have any impact on his candidacy. The AfD state associations in Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt are classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the local state constitutional protection offices.
Höcke, who was born in North Rhine-Westphalia, will also have to answer in court for new allegations: an indictment against him was admitted at the Mühlhausen regional court in Thuringia on charges of incitement to hatred. There were no dates for the hearing until recently. The case in Gera will be heard at the regional court in Halle. There are no dates here yet.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240514-99-21893/9 (dpa)