Björn Höcke's lawyers kept the regional court busy with applications for a full four hours. Only then did the public prosecutor present the charges within two minutes.
The prosecutor's office expressed its anger at the defense lawyers' actions. Prosecutor Benedikt Bernzen said he had never experienced anything like this. A verdict could mean the end of his political career in Thuringian AfD.. The first day of the trial saw several interruptions mark the start of the Hcke trial. The AfD leader does not initially testify; he only provides a few personal details. He is not expected to comment on the allegations until Tuesday, wrote the German press agency DER SPIEGEL on April 18th, at 10:53 a.m. The trial is expected to last until April 20th, according to the German news agency dp.de, at which point it will be adjourned until April 21st, at 9:30 p.m., if necessary. Björn Höcke is accused of using the phrase "Everything for Germany" in a speech at a meeting. He is also accused of having used the phrase again last December at an AfD event in Gera, Thuringia. He defended his choice of words in a TV duel against Thuringian CDU top candidate Mario Voigt. He said: "No, I didn't know." It was a common saying. The indictment is expected to be read out on the first day of the main hearing. The trial is set to last three weeks and will be held in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt (Saalekreis) and in Berlin, Berlin-Brandenburg (Bavaria). The trial will be heard by a jury of seven people. The verdict is expected on November 14. The jury will decide whether or not to convict the AfD politician for a criminal offence. The case is being heard by the German Court of Appeal in Berlin.