German far-right leader in court charged with using 1940s German slogan

[AlexB23]

Man, seems like Germany has issues with the far-right as well just as the US has the MAGA and fascist groups. The article is from a Guardian collaboration with the Associated Press: German far-right leader in court charged with using Nazi slogan

Any Germans here on Christian Forums, such as @Nithavela ? What are your thoughts on this news?


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

Björn Höcke, a prominent far-right figure in Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, stands trial on charges of using a Nazi slogan, "Everything for Germany!," during a speech in May 2021. Prosecutors claim Höcke, the leader of AfD's eastern state branch in Thuringia, was aware of the phrase's Nazi origins as a slogan of the SA stormtroopers. The trial began on April 18, 2024 and Höcke maintains his innocence, insisting he was unaware of the slogan's history. Demonstrators gathered outside the court to protest against Höcke and the AfD party. With Thuringia's state election approaching on September 1, 2024, and the AfD in first place in polls with around ~30% support, the party's strength complicates coalition formation. The AfD has been criticized for radicalization and extremist views, with its Thuringia branch under official surveillance as a "proven right-wing extremist" group. The party's leader in Berlin once called the Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame," and Höcke has been influential in moving the AfD further to the right.

 

[Nithavela]

Man, seems like Germany has issues with the far-right as well just as the US has the MAGA and fascist groups. The article is from a Guardian collaboration with the Associated Press: German far-right leader in court charged with using Nazi slogan

Any Germans here on Christian Forums, such as @Nithavela ? What are your thoughts on this news?


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

Björn Höcke, a prominent far-right figure in Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, stands trial on charges of using a Nazi slogan, "Everything for Germany!," during a speech in May 2021. Prosecutors claim Höcke, the leader of AfD's eastern state branch in Thuringia, was aware of the phrase's Nazi origins as a slogan of the SA stormtroopers. The trial began on April 18, 2024 and Höcke maintains his innocence, insisting he was unaware of the slogan's history. Demonstrators gathered outside the court to protest against Höcke and the AfD party. With Thuringia's state election approaching on September 1, 2024, and the AfD in first place in polls with around ~30% support, the party's strength complicates coalition formation. The AfD has been criticized for radicalization and extremist views, with its Thuringia branch under official surveillance as a "proven right-wing extremist" group. The party's leader in Berlin once called the Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame," and Höcke has been influential in moving the AfD further to the right.

What are my thoughts on what exactly? That Höcke would use such a phrase? The guy isn't even pretending to be anything but a neo-nazi. It's a shame for the whole country that his party is still raking in votes. So much for never again. Once the AfD seizes power in germany, I'll be vacating the premises before they start gassing jews and queers again.

 

[Pommer]

Man, seems like Germany has issues with the far-right as well just as the US has the MAGA and fascist groups. The article is from a Guardian collaboration with the Associated Press: German far-right leader in court charged with using Nazi slogan

Any Germans here on Christian Forums, such as @Nithavela ? What are your thoughts on this news?


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

Björn Höcke, a prominent far-right figure in Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, stands trial on charges of using a Nazi slogan, "Everything for Germany!," during a speech in May 2021. Prosecutors claim Höcke, the leader of AfD's eastern state branch in Thuringia, was aware of the phrase's Nazi origins as a slogan of the SA stormtroopers. The trial began on April 18, 2024 and Höcke maintains his innocence, insisting he was unaware of the slogan's history. Demonstrators gathered outside the court to protest against Höcke and the AfD party. With Thuringia's state election approaching on September 1, 2024, and the AfD in first place in polls with around ~30% support, the party's strength complicates coalition formation. The AfD has been criticized for radicalization and extremist views, with its Thuringia branch under official surveillance as a "proven right-wing extremist" group. The party's leader in Berlin once called the Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame," and Höcke has been influential in moving the AfD further to the right.

I feel like the pot of petunias from H2G2.

 

[AlexB23]

What are my thoughts on what exactly? That Höcke would use such a phrase? The guy isn't even pretending to be anything but a neo-nazi. It's a shame for the whole country that his party is still raking in votes. So much for never again. Once the AfD seizes power in germany, I'll be vacating the premises before they start gassing jews and queers again.

Yeah, this Höcke dude needs to be put in prison, for life without parole. It is sad how the AfD even exists in 2024. I am a brown guy, and am so glad to not be living in East Germany. Why hasn't the the German government shut the AfD down yet? I would have shut that extremist group down years ago.

 

[AlexB23]

I feel like the pot of petunias from H2G2.

Ooh, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is top-tier sci-fi. Read it for a sci-fi class in 2016.


From some artist named

Anyways, it is getting late here, but man, we got to discuss our favorite sci-fi books/movies one of these days.

 

[Nithavela]

Yeah, this Höcke dude needs to be put in prison, for life without parole. It is sad how the AfD even exists in 2024. I am a brown guy, and am so glad to not be living in East Germany. Why hasn't the the German government shut the AfD down yet? I would have shut that extremist group down years ago.

Because for all that blovating about "defensive democracy" our teachers have blovated in school, germanys political system is just as vulnerable to populist as all others.

Besides, the problem isn't Höcke. The problem are the people who are willing to vote for him, either because they are far right themselves or they are willing to tolerate the far right to get what they want. Thüringen was the biggest voter base for Hitlers party when he got into power, too. Nothing has changed. Soon, the CDU, our current supposedly centrist party, will start going into coalitions with the AfD to get into power, and then they'll quickly become the junior partner, then sidelined and finally forbidden with all the other non-afd parties.

 

[Pommer]

Ooh, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is top-tier sci-fi. Read it for a sci-fi class in 2016.


From some artist named View attachment 346371
View attachment 346369

Anyways, it is getting late here, but man, we got to discuss our favorite sci-fi books/movies one of these days.

Venus on the Half-shell by Kilgore Trout (pseudonym for Philip José Farmer, with permission of Kurt Vonnegut Jr), used to be a hard find, but these days, who knows?
It’s quirky.

 

[AlexB23]

Because for all that blovating about "defensive democracy" our teachers have blovated in school, germanys political system is just as vulnerable to populist as all others.

Besides, the problem isn't Höcke. The problem are the people who are willing to vote for him, either because they are far right themselves or they are willing to tolerate the far right to get what they want. Thüringen was the biggest voter base for Hitlers party when he got into power, too. Nothing has changed. Soon, the CDU, our current supposedly centrist party, will start going into coalitions with the AfD to get into power, and then they'll quickly become the junior partner, then sidelined and finally forbidden with all the other non-afd parties.

It seems as if history repeats itself. Yeah, the same problem is here in the US, the far-right, especially from places in the deep south where the Confederates existed during the Civil War.

 

[AlexB23]

Venus on the Half-shell by Kilgore Trout (pseudonym for Philip José Farmer, with permission of Kurt Vonnegut Jr), used to be a hard find, but these days, who knows?
It’s quirky.

I will try that one out, after getting Greg Bear - Darwin's Radio finished. My local library has everything.

 

[Chesterton]

It seems as if history repeats itself. Yeah, the same problem is here in the US, the far-right, especially from places in the deep south where the Confederates existed during the Civil War.

Which far-right politicians in the South do you think are the most serious threats?

 

[AlexB23]

Which far-right politicians in the South do you think are the most serious threats?

Well, this is a thread about Germany, not the US.

 

[DJWhalen]

It seems as if history repeats itself. Yeah, the same problem is here in the US, the far-right, especially from places in the deep south where the Confederates existed during the Civil War.

Well, this is a thread about Germany, not the US.

Why did you bring the US up.

 

[AlexB23]

Why did you bring the US up.

Well, just to say that we have similar issues from extremists. I can make a separate post about this later today after work.

 

[DJWhalen]

Well, just to say that we have similar issues from extremists. I can make a separate post about this later today after work.

Huh... thought so.

 

[FireDragon76]

Because for all that blovating about "defensive democracy" our teachers have blovated in school, germanys political system is just as vulnerable to populist as all others.

Besides, the problem isn't Höcke. The problem are the people who are willing to vote for him, either because they are far right themselves or they are willing to tolerate the far right to get what they want. Thüringen was the biggest voter base for Hitlers party when he got into power, too. Nothing has changed. Soon, the CDU, our current supposedly centrist party, will start going into coalitions with the AfD to get into power, and then they'll quickly become the junior partner, then sidelined and finally forbidden with all the other non-afd parties.

It seems like alot of the reactionary sentiment is strongest in Bavaria and eastern Germany?

 

[Nithavela]

It seems like alot of the reactionary sentiment is strongest in Bavaria and eastern Germany?

East germany, mostly, with the exception of Berlin.

Bavaria is still strongly in the hand of the CSU, the more conservative sister party of the CDU which has been ruling Bavaria since the beginning of the republic. Mostly because the CDU needs the power of the CSU to rule and thus gives the CSU and thus Bavaria an inordinate amount of weight in federal politics. And also because people in Bavaria tend to be more conservative in general.

As I said it's always been this way. Hitlers NSDAP liked to call Thuringia it's "Schutz- und Trutzgau" (Protection and Fortress District).

 

[FireDragon76]

East germany, mostly, with the exception of Berlin.

Bavaria is still strongly in the hand of the CSU, the more conservative sister party of the CDU which has been ruling Bavaria since the beginning of the republic. Mostly because the CDU needs the power of the CSU to rule and thus gives the CSU and thus Bavaria an inordinate amount of weight in federal politics. And also because people in Bavaria tend to be more conservative in general.

As I said it's always been this way. Hitlers NSDAP liked to call Thuringia it's "Schutz- und Trutzgau" (Protection and Fortress District).

It's interesting that the strongest support for the far right occurs in the least religious part of Germany. East Germany is the Atheist belt, from what I understand.

Perhaps economic insecurities have something to do with the support? I get the sense alot of East Germans feel left behind.

 

[Nithavela]

It's interesting that the strongest support for the far right occurs in the least religious part of Germany. East Germany is the Atheist belt, from what I understand.

Perhaps economic insecurities have something to do with the support? I get the sense alot of East Germans feel left behind.

The atheist part comes from the russian occupation, but the far right sentiments predate the second world war, so I don't think there's much causation.