- Police hanging AfD posters in Frankfurt
The police have removed election posters of the AfD in Frankfurt (Oder). The background to this is investigations by the public prosecutor's office into the suspicion of using symbols of unconstitutional organizations against the AfD state parliamentarian Wilko Möler, a spokeswoman for the authority explained. The election poster for the AfD parliamentarian shows two adults raising their arms over three sitting children. "We protect your children" is written above the image.
The similarity of the arm gesture of the two adults to the Hitler salute ultimately led the public prosecutor's office to initiate investigations. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation procedure, the poster - in the assessment of the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt (Oder) - "displays the symbol of an unconstitutional association and is therefore illegal," the spokeswoman said. The police are generally obliged to remove illegal situations. "This happens regardless of whether an investigation is being conducted and how it turns out," the spokeswoman emphasized.
The criminal police oriented themselves on the assessment of the public prosecutor's office and had the posters removed. According to the city's statements, the police asked the municipality for help with this. With several firefighters and an emergency vehicle, the remaining posters were removed on Monday. The AfD politician Wilko Möler had previously removed some of the controversial posters at the request of the police, according to statements from his party. "If the local association does not act, the police will," a spokesman for the AfD state association reflected the police's demand.
The investigations by the public prosecutor's office were initiated due to the alleged use of symbols associated with extremist organizations. Despite the ongoing investigation, the police were obligated to remove the posters due to their assessment as illegal symbolism of an unconstitutional association.
