Björn Höcke's Alternative for Germany (AfD) has come out on top in Sunday's regional election in the eastern state of Thuringia. Höcke spoke of a "historic victory" after exit polls put his party far ahead.

"This fills me with so, so, so much pride and satisfaction," Höcke told his supporters in Thuringia's state capital, Erfurt.

"We are ready to take government responsibility," he added.

Höcke wants to become the first AfD politician to serve as premier of one of Germany's 16 federal states.

Long history of right-wing extremist statements

Björn Höcke has denied espousing any Nazi ideology. He likes to counter his critics by saying that nowadays in Germany, anyone who criticizes the ruling parties is described as a Nazi.

The 52-year-old politician is a qualified history teacher, having taught the subject for 13 years before switching to politics in 2014. And he has a long history of right-wing extremist statements.

On a cold February day back in 2010, when he was still a teacher, he took part in a neo-Nazi march in Dresden. Höcke did not simply march along with the demonstration: when counter-protesters blocked the event, he shouted angrily with a raised fist: "We want to march!"

Since the murderous rule of the National Socialists under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945, any ideological or symbolic invocation of Nazi values has been considered out of bounds in Germany. During the Nazi era, Germans murdered over 6 million Jews and were responsible for the deadliest conflict in world history, World War II.

NSU contacts, criticism of Germany's Holocaust remembrance

In 2008, Höcke moved to the small village of Bornhagen in Thuringia — an idyllic, rural area. As the moving vans arrived at the former vicarage, a famous guest showed up: Thorsten Heise.

Heise lives in a neighboring village and is one of the most active Neo-Nazis in Germany. He has a lengthy criminal record: grievous bodily harm, breach of the peace, coercion and incitement to racial hatred. Heise was also in contact with the right-wing extremist terror group the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which murdered 10 people in Germany. Their motive: racism.

People who witnessed Höcke and Heise together have made statutory declarations about how friendly their interactions were. Höcke has not denied the acquaintance.

Around this time, articles by an author named "Landolf Ladig" appeared in Heise's neo-Nazi magazine. Ladig exalted the Nazi regime and advocated an economic system based on racial biology. Ladig also quoted letters to the editor by Höcke, and used terminology and phrasing only found elsewhere in texts written by Höcke himself.

Years later, Höcke's own party attempted to expel him based on the assumption that "it was almost certain" that Höcke was the ominous "Landolf Ladig." But the party committee failed.

In a letter in 2015, the AfD executive board accused Höcke of publishing writings under the pseudonym "Landolf Ladig" that were "extremely close to National Socialism." Höcke denied that he had done so, but refused to sign an affidavit stating as much. 

In 2017, the party's Federal Executive Committee started expulsion proceedings against Höcke following his controversial speech at a party event in Dresden where he criticized Germany's remembrance of the Holocaust. He called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin a "monument of shame" and added: "These stupid politics of coming to grips with the past cripple us — we need nothing more than a 180-degree reversal on the politics of remembrance." Thuringia's Court of Arbitration rejected the expulsion.

Fined for using Nazi slogans

Höcke's references to the Nazi era started to become more obvious after he joined the AfD in 2013.

In 2019, a German court ruled that Höcke can legally be described as a "fascist," based on a "verifiable factual basis." 

In 2024, he has twice been convicted of using banned Nazi slogans. In July, the regional court in Halle ruled that he used the slogan of Hitler's Sturmabteilung (SA): "Everything for Germany" during an election campaign rally for his party in November 2023. The SA, also known as storm troopers, was a feared paramilitary group that terrorized political opponents and Jews on the streets, primarily at the start of the Nazi regime.

When handing down his verdict, the judge said that as a historian, Höcke would have known he would be committing a criminal offense by using the slogan. Höcke had to pay a fine of €16,900 ($19,000) for using a symbol of an unconstitutional and terrorist organization.

In May 2024, Höcke was also sentenced to a fine for the same accusation after using the SA slogan in an election campaign speech. Both judgments have not yet been finalized.

Redefining history

State governments have wide-ranging political power in Germany's federal system, which includes education and media policies.

During an AfD meeting in November 2023, Höcke announced sweeping changes if he were to become state premier.

After years of critical reporting, the AfD has called for the abolition or restructuring of public broadcasting in Germany. Inspired by former US President Donald Trump, the AfD uses so-called "alternative media", spreading its political ideas via its own, far-reaching party channels on social media platforms.

Political parties, churches, foundations, unions and a multitude of initiatives have mobilized against Höcke's premiership dream. This includes Jens-Christian Wagner, who heads the memorial at the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps in Thuringia. Ahead of the election, he told voters that the declaration "never again" in relation to the crimes of the Nazis is more important today than ever.

This article was originally written in German. It was first published in January 2024 and has since been updated with the results of the September 1, 2024 state election in Thuringia.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.