Berlin prosecutors have charged Matthias Moosdorf, a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), with using a banned Nazi salute during a parliamentary session,
authorities said on Monday.
The charges follow a vote by the Bundestag in October to lift the 60-year-old lawmaker’s parliamentary immunity, clearing the way for legal action against the Russia-friendly, cellist-turned-politician.
According to prosecutors, Moosdorf greeted another AfD member near an entrance to the historic Reichstag building in June 2023 by clicking his heels and raising his arm in a Nazi salute, allegedly ensuring the gesture was visible to others.
The use of symbols and slogans associated with anti-constitutional organisations, including the Nazis, has been illegal in Germany since the end of World War II.
Moosdorf has denied the allegation. In a statement, he said he had not performed the Hitler salute and claimed the accusation stemmed from a misunderstanding while he was checking his wife’s coat at the building’s cloakroom.
“It is shameful that someone is trying to fabricate a political spectacle at this level instead of constructively engaging with the content of our party and its political positions,” he said.
The AfD, which has been strengthening ties with MAGA-aligned Republicans in the United States, is currently polling first nationwide ahead of five state elections next year. Earlier this year, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classified the party as a right-wing extremist organisation. Photo by Staff volunteer23, Wikimedia commons.
