A statement from Björn Höcke causes controversy. A judge comments on the trial. The sociologist Andreas Kemper classifies Höcke's “targeted” rhetoric.
Halle – “Is that from 'Mein Kampf' or from Mr. Höcke?” Party colleagues of Thuringia's AfD leader Björn Höcke were unable to answer this question with certainty when a
ZDF
reporter read them a passage from one of Höcke's books in 2019. The accusation has often been made against Höcke that his language is sometimes on the border or beyond the border of Nazi rhetoric. In two cases, Höcke is specifically accused of having used the SA slogan “Everything for Germany”. That's why the AfD politician is now on trial in Halle.
Numerous essays can be written about Höcke's linguistic border crossings. The social scientist Andreas Kemper did this and closely examined the AfD politician's rhetoric. Kemper is certain, as he explains in an interview when asked by
IPPEN.MEDIA
, that Höcke's rhetoric is no coincidence. His words were deliberately chosen and had a purpose.
The use of the SA solution is prohibited by law in Germany. Höcke has to answer in court under Section 86a of the Criminal Code for using the symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. According to Höcke, this is just a “common saying”.
On
platform
In Kemper's text from 2017 entitled “Winning the 'battle for language'”, the sociologist quotes a speech by the AfD politician from 2014: “The aim of the AfD must be to avert the 'conceptual domination' of the left '.” In his essay he went on to say that this meant “a removal of taboos from language, which for Höcke apparently means being able to speak the Nazi language in a socially acceptable way again.”
Social scientist about Höcke's role in the AfD
In the short or long term, the AfD is aiming for a government role at the federal level, AfD leader Alice Weidel explained this on Wednesday (April 17) at an event in Rottweil. First of all, it is paradoxical that Höcke, as part of a party that wants to appeal to a broad mass of people, or as the AfD calls it, “the people,” risks a lawsuit with presumably National Socialist rhetoric.
Kemper explains this based on Höcke's presumed self-image within the AfD. Höcke is not interested in appealing to as many voters as possible. For him it's about being part of a movement party, says Kemper. A “truce” was concluded within the AfD. Jörg Meuthen was the last person to leave the AfD who represented a dissenting voice to Höcke. “Every two years, Höcke emerges more and more as the core of the AfD,” said Kemper.
Anything less than a suspended sentence would be a success for Höcke.
Andreas Kemper, sociologist, about the trial in Halle against Björn Höcke
The sociologist says about the process that in his opinion a fine is not a deterrent for Höcke: “Below a suspended sentence, everything would be a success for Höcke.”
Legally, cases involving freedom of expression are often complicated. Matthias Jahn, judge at the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt and professor of criminal law at Goethe University, explains to
IPPEN.MEDIA
what could be expected in the trial. First of all, the lawyer refers to the requirements of the Federal Constitutional Court. Accordingly, “a presumption in favor of free speech applies to all statements that make even the slightest contribution to the formation of opinions,” explains Jahn.
Frankfurt judge on Höcke: “Will try again to explore the outer limits of what is still permissible”
According to Jahn, the Halle Regional Court must now clarify whether this applies to the Höcke case and “whether there could possibly be alternative interpretations for the SA slogan without punishment” in the specific cases. The intent must also be proven in an “audit-proof manner”. “The mere fact that he was a high school history teacher is not enough,” explains the judge at the Higher Regional Court.
The lawyer assumes that Höcke's statements are "another attempt to explore the outer limits of what is still permissible." The public and also the trial would indirectly contribute to this, says Jahn: "By creating publicity and having to offer the defendant a stage for the sake of legal proceedings, we are jumping over the stick that he is holding out."
In 2017, attempted party expulsion proceedings against Höcke: he “used Hitler’s vocabulary”
The fact that Höcke is trying to “make right-wing language speakable again” is nothing new, explains Kemper. The term “right-wing language” is still very broadly defined. In 2017, the AfD federal executive committee initiated party expulsion proceedings against Höcke. The report on which the desired exclusion was based is said to have stated, among other things, that Höcke "used Hitler's vocabulary" in a speech in Dresden, writes Kemper in his essay from the same year.
This means sentences like: “I want to preserve the AfD as the last evolutionary chance for our fatherland. I want us to put a stop to these halves. We want that because we know: There is no alternative to the established.” For comparison, Kemper referred to a promise made by Adolf Hitler in 1932: “The kingdom of heaven and happiness never belong to halves, but to wholes. I promise that we will hold high our flag, our ideals and our idea and go to the grave with it.”
Björn Höcke aka “Landolf Ladig”?
In 2016, Kemper published research entitled “Is Björn Höcke 'Landolf Ladig'?” In his research, the sociologist credibly argued that Höcke wrote texts for NPD magazines in 2011 and 2012 under the pseudonym “Landolf Ladig”. The texts, among other things, trivialize the crimes committed by Germans in the Second World War and glorify the Nazi regime.
Kemper also refers to this in an interview with
IPPEN.MEDIA
about the trial against Höcke. However, the social scientist explains that this is not the decisive factor for being concerned about Höcke's rhetoric. Even if one wants to argue that this has not been proven, there are still texts and speeches that were definitely written by Höcke, says Kemper.
SA slogan in Merseburg and Gera: Höcke's attempts to push the boundaries of what can be said
In Merseburg in Saxony-Anhalt, among other places, Björn Höcke is said to have used the SA solution in May 2021. He is also accused of using the slogan at an AfD event in Gera, Thuringia, in December 2023. When making the statement for which Höcke was first charged, he incorporated the slogan into a triad. “Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany!” was Höcke’s exclamation.
In Gera, Höcke didn't say the full sentence. The AfD politician presumably had his audience proclaim the word “Germany” with an inviting hand gesture. From Kemper’s point of view, “scanting in a choir” is “much worse”. Kemper also suspects that Höcke wants to further push the boundaries of what can be said. The sociologist fears that the Nazi slogan “Germany awaken” could be next on the agenda.
(pav)