Brandenburg police confiscated a poster from the Die Linke party in Fürstenwalde/Spree that read “Björn Höcke is a Nazi.” This was confirmed by the Ost Police Directorate. The poster belongs to the campaign “Stand Up Against Racism,” according to the Brandenburg state leadership of Die Linke. The party called the seizure an attempt to intimidate them in their fight against fascism. The move is described as “highly concerning.”
From the police: there had been a tip from the public last Friday, after which officers went to the party office and inspected the poster in the window. Accordingly, there was an initial suspicion of a crime. “For this reason the officers secured the poster and filed a report on suspicion of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.”
Björn Höcke is the state chairman of the AfD in Thuringia, which is classified as ideologically far-right extremist. In the past, posters with the same wording have repeatedly appeared at anti-AfD protests in that federal state. Following a 2019 court decision, Höcke was allowed to be labeled a fascist during a demonstration in Eisenach, according to a ruling by the Meiningen Administrative Court. However, that does not imply that such labels are always permissible.
The case is now with the Frankfurt (Oder) Public Prosecutor’s Office for further legal assessment, handled by the department for political offenses, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said. The matter concerns, among other things, whether it constitutes protected speech or, for instance, a criminal insult. The spokesman indicated the case would likely be treated with urgency, though the assessment could take several days.
Marcy Ellerton
