Far-right MP charged with doing Nazi salute in parliament

Berlin prosecutors have filed charges against Matthias Moosdorf, a member of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), for allegedly greeting another party member with the Nazi salute.

It comes after the Bundestag lower house of parliament voted in October to lift his parliamentary immunity.

The use of slogans and symbols linked to the Nazis has been illegal in Germany since the Second World War.

Their use is punishable by a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years.

Prosectors said that Moosdorf, 60, performed a heel click and a Nazi salute near one of the entrances of the historic Reichstag building during a parliamentary session in June 2023.

He ensured that the salute “would be perceptible to others”, they said.

open image in gallery

In a statement, Moosdorf, who was a cellist before becoming a politician, rejected the accusation.

He said he had been checking his wife’s coat at the building’s cloakroom at the time of the incident.

"It is shameful that someone is trying to fabricate a political spectacle at this level instead of constructively engaging with the content of our party and its political positions," he said.

Moosdorf is a member of parliament for Zwickau in Saxony, a former East German state.

He has been a member of the AfD since 2016.

open image in gallery

Until May, he was a foreign policy spokesperson for the party’s parliamentary group. However, he was removed of the duty in May due to his friendliness with Russia.

The AfD, which is already polling first in surveys across Germany ahead of five state elections next year, has been forging stronger ties with MAGA-aligned Republicans.

The party was classified earlier this year by Germany's domestic intelligence agency as a right-wing extremist organisation.

In June, Germany’s domestic spy agency revealed a concerning rise in right-wing extremism within its ranks.

According to the agency's annual report, the number of identified extremists within the AfD surged by 77 per cent in 2024, reaching approximately 20,000 people.