MP allegedly greeted a party colleague at German parliament building ‘with a heel click and a Hitler salute’

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.

  • arrow74@lemmy.zipEnglish
    51·
    16 hours ago

    When “our side” is no longer in power, “they” might introduce the death penalty. What’s to stop “them”, once they are in control? Our good faith?

    You can’t live your life by becoming worse than what those you fear may become. Honestly this is the rhetoric fascists use.

    But to engage the point, you do this by making the death penalty something the populace opposes. If it becomes unthinkable a “non-starter” that’s a good thing.

    Execution may be unacceptable to some of us, but –crucially– it is acceptable to those who would most abuse it, and they will cheer its reintroduction.

    Then make the idea so repugnant only a minority of a minority of people would be okay with it.

    Honestly I don’t get your argument. It’s basically you should be afraid that those people over there will kill you so you must kill them first. I think we’ve heard that one before…

    As times are now use the systems in place that will prevent the rise of the AFD. If the fascists take control then feel free to start killing fascists. Be sure to be early, but you do that after the systems failed.

    It’s like they haven’t even tried to disband the party and it’s jumping straight to murder. That’s not a nation anyone would want to live in

    • djsp@feddit.orgEnglish
      14·
      13 hours ago

      You propose to instill a deep conviction –that the death penalty is unacceptable– in a broad majority of people:

      […] you do this by making the death penalty something the populace opposes.

      Then make the idea so repugnant only a minority of a minority of people would be okay with it.

      How?

      You put it like we haven’t tried. You put it like we can somehow do it. That contradicts current trends: political violence in particular and violence more broadly are becoming more and more acceptable again.

      If the fascists take control then feel free to start killing fascists.

      By then it will be far too late.

      As times are now use the systems in place that will prevent the rise of the AFD. If the fascists take control then feel free to start killing fascists. Be sure to be early, but you do that after the systems failed.

      The system and all its guardrails are actively failing before your eyes and have been for over a decade at this point. In fact, the system –capitalism– isn’t really failing, but simply succumbing to its own contradictions and evolving into its next stage: fascism.

      It’s basically you should be afraid that those people over there will kill you so you must kill them first.

      No. It’s neither fear nor hate. It’s not a tribal proposition either. It’s an instrument of last resort to preserve our chance of building a fair system.