Prominent figure in German far-right party to go on trial in April for alleged use of a Nazi slogan

BERLIN (AP) — A court says one of the most prominent figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany party will go on trial in April on charges related to his alleged use in a 2021 speech of a slogan used by the Nazis’ SA stormtroopers. Björn Höcke is the party’s leader in the eastern state of Thuringia and an influential figure on the hard right of Alternative for Germany. He is set to lead its campaign in a state election set for Sept. 1. In the case set for trial on Friday, he is charged with using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Prosecutors have said Höcke’s lawyers denied that his words had any “criminal relevance.”