BERLIN

A German court on Tuesday sentenced a prominent far-right politician to pay a €13,000 ($14,000) fine for using a Nazi slogan during a campaign speech.

The court in the eastern city of Halle ruled that the far-right AfD’s regional leader Bjoern Hoecke has violated laws by using the banned Nazi slogan “Everything for Germany”.

The judges concluded that the far-right politician, a former history teacher, intentionally used this slogan during a rally in 2021, and knew that it was the slogan of Nazi Party’s paramilitary wing Sturmabteilung.

The controversial politician, who leads the far-right AfD in Thuringia, had claimed that “Everything for Germany” was a common saying, and he did not know that it was a slogan of the Nazis.

The anti-immigrant party recorded its highest poll rating last year at 23%, but the latest surveys show that the AfD’s popularity dipped by around six points, and it’s currently polled at about 17% in nationwide surveys.

In recent years, prominent members of the party have sparked controversy with anti-immigrant, antisemitic, and Islamophobic remarks. Critics accuse the AfD of encouraging xenophobia and anti-Muslim racism in Germany.