The State Prosecutor’s Office in Gera is conducting preliminary investigations against Björn Höcke, a politician of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The investigations are looking into potentially incitement of the people or defamation of the state in relation to two speeches given by Höcke in Gera in October 2022 and January 2024. The Thuringian AfD party and parliamentary leader is currently facing a trial at the Regional Court in Halle. The State Prosecutor’s Office is considering whether to request the lifting of Höcke’s immunity from the Thuringian Parliament in both cases.
The Thuringian State Prosecutor’s Office is currently conducting preliminary investigations into Björn Höcke to determine whether to request the lifting of his immunity from the Thuringian Parliament. There are ongoing preliminary investigations against the 52-year-old concerning two separate incidents. Höcke’s office declined to comment on the investigations at this time. The Thuringian AfD is classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group and is under observation by the state’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution. One of the incidents being investigated is a speech made by Höcke during a citizens’ dialogue in Gera on January 18, 2024, where he commented on a protest against the AfD in Leipzig.
The State Prosecutor’s Office is examining whether the statements made by Höcke in his speeches may amount to incitement of the people or defamation of the state and its symbols. The specific passages of the speeches under investigation were not revealed by the spokesperson. The investigations are focusing on comments made by Höcke comparing the protest in Leipzig to torchlight processions of the National Socialists in 1933 and stating that Germany is no longer a functioning democracy in 2024. Another incident being investigated is a speech made by Höcke on October 3, 2022 in Gera, where his comments on Russia’s attack on Ukraine are under scrutiny for potential incitement of the people.
Björn Höcke is currently facing legal challenges at various courts, including the Regional Courts in Halle and Mühlhausen. In the case being heard at the Regional Court in Halle, he is accused of using the SA slogan “Alles für Deutschland” in a speech in May 2021 in Merseburg. The State Prosecutor’s Office in Halle alleges that Höcke publicly used the emblem of a former Nazi organization. Höcke denies knowledge that the phrase “Alles für Deutschland” was a slogan of the Nazi SA. In Thuringia, he will also have to stand trial for incitement of the people, with the indictment being already accepted, but trial dates yet to be scheduled. Thuringian parliamentarians have immunity from prosecution, and investigations can only proceed once approved by the parliament’s Justice Committee.
