A regional court in Halle, Germany has fined Björn Höcke, a leading figure of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, €16,900 for the public use of a Nazi-associated slogan. The fine was levied after Höcke used the phrase “Alles für Deutschland” (“Everything for Germany”) during an AfD event in December 2023. This slogan was historically employed by the Nazi Party’s paramilitary organization, the Sturmabteilung (SA).
Höcke announced the court’s decision via a video on X (formerly Twitter), where he received substantial public attention. During his speech, Höcke uttered the first part of the phrase “Alles für” and encouraged the audience to complete it with “Deutschland.”
According to §86a of the German criminal code, the utilization of symbols linked to unconstitutional and terrorist organizations, which include slogans and greetings of such groups deemed unconstitutional by the courts, is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment or a monetary fine. The Nazi party and its affiliated paramilitary groups are classified as unconstitutional organizations under §86 (1) Nr. 4 of the German criminal code.
This is not Höcke’s first encounter with the law over such issues. He had already been fined €13,000 in May for using the same slogan at a 2021 event. The prosecutor’s office had initially sought an eight-month prison sentence and a two-year ban on political activity for Höcke, who currently serves in the Thüringen parliament.
In a statement on X, Höcke criticized the ruling, asserting it contradicted democratic constitutional state principles and questioned the judiciary’s political motivations. His defense argued that the slogan is a generic expression not exclusively tied to the SA.
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