The Frankfurt (Oder) Regional Court sentenced Wilko Möller, a member of the Brandenburg State Parliament from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) to a fine of €11,600.
The sentence was handed down for using the symbols of unconstitutional organizations. The court found that the politician’s 2024 election poster depicted a gesture visually similar to the Nazi salute (“Hitlergruß”).
The poster depicted two adults with their arms raised, forming a kind of “roof” or “protective dome” over three seated children. The caption on the poster read, “We protect your children.” The prosecutor and the court viewed the man’s raised right hand as a deliberate provocation and a reference to the Nazi salute, which is banned in Germany.
Möller’s lawyers insisted that the gesture had nothing to do with the Nazi salute, and that the pose merely depicted protection for the children. The politician and his defense team announced their intention to appeal the verdict, which has not yet entered into legal force.
Möller was also charged with the advertising designer who created the poster design. The court acquitted him.
The case sparked widespread public outcry and became the latest in a long series of court cases against AfD representatives for using Nazi symbols and slogans. The party has repeatedly claimed “politically motivated persecution” by the authorities.
