MP allegedly greeted a party colleague at German parliament building ‘with a heel click and a Hitler salute’
Berlin prosecutors say they have charged a member of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party with making a Nazi salute in parliament.
The suspect allegedly “greeted a party colleague … at the east entrance to the Reichstag building with a heel click and a Hitler salute” in June 2023, the prosecutors said in a statement issued on Monday.
Making such a salute is illegal in Germany and is punishable by up to three years in prison.
The newspaper Bild named the politician as Matthias Moosdorf, 60, a member of parliament for Zwickau in the former East German state of Saxony.
I’d prioritize violent offenses first, but also you do not know the details. Obviously the prosecution wants to assure they have an iron clad case when pursing a charge against a political figure. This is to ensure they are not accused of bias. The offense was 2 years ago, but you don’t know how long the investigation was. Also there are multiple ways for lawyers to delay trials. This is necessary to assure the accused get their full right to legal counsel. Also by giving the defense time it reduces the likelihood of mistakes that could be used to make an appeal.
So yeah lots of reasons