A prominent politician from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is back in court on Monday for using a banned Nazi slogan.
Björn Höcke, the AfD's firebrand leader in the central German state of Thuringia, is on trial for using the the slogan of the Nazi's Stormtrooper (SA) street-fighting paramilitary group, "Everything for Germany."
The proceedings are being held at the Halle District Court in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Höcke has already been convicted in a separate trial for quoting the same slogan in a speech at an AfD election campaign event in Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt in May 2021.
He was under indictment for that when, in December 2023, he allegedly uttered the first two words of the "Everything for Germany" slogan as a speaker at an AfD event in the town of Gera in Thuringia.
He used gestures to encourage the audience to shout the third word of the slogan, according to the public prosecutor's office.
Höcke, a former history teacher, and the audience would have known that it was a banned Nazi slogan, the prosecutor argued.
Höcke denied on Monday that he meant to encourage the audience to chant the rest of the slogan, and claimed he was surprised when they did so.
"I am also completely innocent in this matter. I know that I am being sentenced. But it doesn't feel fair to me," the 52-year-old Höcke said on Monday.
Höcke also said he doesn't see why the slogan should be outlawed. He said the phrase is made of "everyday words" that the Nazi's SA had also used.
His lawyers on Monday argued that the court lacked jurisdiction in the matter, and also complained about a media "barrage" against their client. They argued that the extensive negative press coverage of Höcke made a fair trial impossible.
In the current proceedings, Höcke is accused of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.
On May 14, the regional court in Halle sentenced the AfD politician to a fine of 100 daily rates of €130 ($139) for the same crime over the Merseburg speech.
That judgement is not final. Höcke's defence lawyers have lodged an appeal.
The AfD is campaigning for three upcoming elections for regional state parliaments: Thuringia and Saxony on September 1 and Brandenburg on September 22. The AfD is riding high in the polls.
