A German politician has been taken into custody for reportedly showing Nazi symbols. This happened because people frequently heard “Sieg Heil” being said at the place where his fraternity meets.
Daniel Halemba, who is 22 years old, was chosen to be a member of the Bavarian parliament this month. He belongs to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party.
The police inspected the building of the Teutonia Prag student group and discovered some Nazi signs.
Mr Halemba was taken into custody a few hours before he was supposed to be protected as a Member of Parliament.
He is one of 32 members elected for the AfD in Bavaria, where it is now the biggest opposition party in the state.
Last month, the police in Würzburg entered Mr. Halemba’s fraternity building. The neighbors had complained about hearing shouts of “Sieg Heil” coming from inside.
The officers took away things that were not allowed and the raid proved that the things that the neighbors accused were true.
The phrase was an important slogan used by Nazis and is not allowed to be used in Germany.
Police issued a document saying that they wanted to arrest someone on Friday. They found Mr Halemba near Stuttgart, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, on Monday morning.
The prosecutors told the BBC that they thought Mr. Halemba might try to escape because he had been hiding since October 26th.
In Germany, it is illegal to use symbols or images associated with the Nazi party.
Officials also claim that he tried to convince other members of the fraternity to alter their statements, which they believe is evidence of collusion or hiding evidence.
They want to catch me and put me in jail. “Before he was arrested, Mr. Halemba said in a video on social media that the arrest warrant was completely illegal. ”
His lawyer, Dubravko Mandic, said that the accusations against his client were not true.
Katrin Ebner-Steiner, the person in charge of the AfD party in the Bavarian parliament, criticized a legal action that she believes is driven by political motives.
The AfD has had very good results in recent elections.
The party against immigration got the third position in the Bavarian election that happened this month. Additionally, they came in second place in the state of Hesse.
The party is now frequently ranked second in national polls. Germany will have its next federal election in the year 2025.