AfD man Björn Höcke is to pay a fine of 13,000 euros for using a banned SA slogan. When you look at Höcke’s finances, it becomes clear: the amount should not hurt the AfD man much. Something else, however, does.

The Thuringian AfD leader Björn Höcke has been sentenced to a fine of 13,000 euros because he used the phrase “everything for Germany” in a public speech. The statement was a slogan during National Socialism and since Höcke repeatedly used borrowings from this period, the Halle regional court made a corresponding judgment.

It sees the statement as a violation of Section 86a of the Criminal Code (“Use of symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations”). The 52-year-old committed the crime under “the guise of freedom of expression” and knew full well that he was committing a criminal offense. The verdict is not yet legally binding. An appeal before the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe is possible.

But does the amount hurt the AfD politician?

The presiding judge Jan Stengel asked the Thuringian AfD leader about his income during the hearing. Höcke replied that it should be around 9,000 euros net. He didn’t give any precise details; his wife was “the finance minister” at home, the politician said.

Nevertheless, his statement is plausible. As parliamentary group leader, Höcke receives double the MP diet. According to the Thuringian state parliament, Höcke’s basic compensation, financed from tax revenues, amounts to 13,096.24 euros per month.

There is also likely to be income as a book author. In 2018 his book “Never enter the same river twice” was published. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution was one of the first readers. In a report that became known at the beginning of 2019, the work, which was designed as an interview, is used in detail: as evidence that Höcke’s then officially existing AfD “wing” is a case for intelligence surveillance.

The volume by the AfD state leader and parliamentary group leader in the Thuringian state parliament was still allowed to be sold without restrictions. Writing trainer Annette Hausmann expects 10,000 copies of a book to be sold, with average income of more than 7,000 euros for the author.

Höcke’s work is likely to be at least on this scale. However, the book is no longer current and sales have probably declined significantly. It’s mostly available for sale on the Internet second-hand, which doesn’t generate any income for Höcke.

He is also a civil servant and senior teacher on leave; before his political career he was a history teacher in Hesse. This time as a civil servant results in entitlements to pension benefits, but not current income.

The court therefore took one percent of the gross earnings of 13,000 euros, multiplied this amount by 100 daily rates and thus arrived at the fine in question, which corresponds approximately to a gross monthly wage. That hurts, but it should be manageable for the politician.

What is much more painful for Höcke is that he was sentenced to more than 90 daily rates and is therefore above the limit at which he is considered to have a criminal record. If the verdict becomes final, he can officially be described as a “convicted politician”. An entry is then made in the certificate of good conduct.

But that’s not all: the 52-year-old may have to face another criminal trial in Halle. At an appearance last year, he is said to have shouted “Everything for…” during a speech in order to have the audience end the slogan with “… Germany”. In addition, the Mühlhausen regional court has approved an indictment against Höcke on charges of incitement to hatred. He is said to have denigrated Muslims on Telegram while reporting on a violent act.

Surf tip: Höcke, Krah, Scholz – How investigations and legal proceedings influence public opinion and elections

The article “A look at Höcke’s finances: a fine doesn’t hurt him, something else does” comes from Business Punk.