Far-right German politician fined over use of banned Nazi slogan

DPA
·1 min read
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Bjoern Hoecke, chairman of the Thuringian AfD party, sits in the courtroom of the Halle/Saale district court. He is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Ronny Hartmann/AFP Pool/dpa
Bjoern Hoecke, chairman of the Thuringian AfD party, sits in the courtroom of the Halle/Saale district court. He is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Ronny Hartmann/AFP Pool/dpa

A leading member of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Björn Höcke, has been fined for using a prohibited Nazi slogan, a regional court ruled on Tuesday evening.

The regional court in the eastern German city of Halle sentenced Höcke to a fine for using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.

Höcke, 52, is to pay 100 daily rates of €130 ($140) each, the court ruled.

The public prosecutor's office had accused the leader of the Thuringian state AfD of having knowingly used a banned slogan of the Sturmabteilung (SA), or Storm Troopers, a Nazi paramilitary group commonly referred to as the "brownshirts."

A former history teacher, Höcke has denied that he had knowingly used the slogan.

Bjoern Hoecke (R), chairman of the Thuringian AfD party, waits with his lawyer Ulrich Vosgerau for the start of his trial at the Halle/Saale district court. He is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Ronny Hartmann/AFP Pool/dpa
Bjoern Hoecke (R), chairman of the Thuringian AfD party, waits with his lawyer Ulrich Vosgerau for the start of his trial at the Halle/Saale district court. He is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Ronny Hartmann/AFP Pool/dpa