Hochke faces another court hearing for using Nazi slogans.
Bjoern Hocke, the head honcho of the Thuringia AfD, is back in the dock at the Halle Regional Court, starting from Monday, in a second trial. The charge? Using a prohibited Nazi party slogan yet again. The SA was the armed wing of the Nazi party NSDAP. In December 2023, Hocke is supposed to have dropped the initial two words of the Nazi slogan "Alles fur Deutschland" as a speaker at an AfD event in Gera, Thuringia. The prosecution alleges he encouraged the crowd to fill in the third word with their exclamations.
The prosecution believes both Hocke and the audience were cognizant of the fact that the slogan was off-limits. Hocke is charged with employing symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. As per the Halle Regional Court, the defendant has argued against the criminal implications of his actions.
The Halle Regional Court had previously fined the AfD politician 100 euros for 130 days in May 2021 for using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations at a campaign event in Merseburg, Sachsen-Anhalt. The presiding judge, Jan Stengel, asserted that Hocke was aware of the banned nature of the SA slogan, "He's a verbally astute, smart man who recognizes what he's uttering."
Crowd finishes Nazi slogan
The verdict is not yet final. Hocke's legal team has filed an appeal. The politician continues to profess his innocence, claiming ignorance of the slogan, despite being an educated history teacher.
In the second case, in December 2023, Hocke is accused of endorsing the slogan, even as a criminal procedure against him was ongoing. From the prosecution's perspective, he was aware of the illegality at that time. In case of a guilty verdict, the 52-year-old could face a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine, according to the Halle Regional Court. After the trial started on Monday, another hearing day has been scheduled for Wednesday when the verdict may be delivered.
Hocke is also facing a third trial. The Halle Regional Court in Thuringia has approved a charge against Hocke for inciting hate speech. Specifically, it concerns a 2022 Telegram post by Hocke about a violent incident in Ludwigshafen and the alleged conduct of many immigrants. No hearing dates have been set yet.
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During the trial, the Halle Regional Court will consider if Björn Höcke, the AfD leader in Thuringia, intentionally used a banned Nazi slogan at an event in Gera, encouraging the audience to complete it. Despite his denials of knowledge, Höcke has previously been fined for using such symbols.
After being accused of endorsing a Nazi slogan even while a criminal procedure against him was ongoing, Björn Höcke of the AfD faces potential penalties, such as prison time or a significant fine, according to the Halle Regional Court. This trial follows a previous conviction for similar actions, highlighting Höcke's involvement with right-wing extremism.
