German far-right leader appears to make ‘Hitler salute’ in photo as party surges

A photograph from 2020 has emerged showing Martin Reichardt, a federal lawmaker and leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, appearing to make a Nazi salute. In the image, Reichardt raises his left arm while another man kneels before him. Witnesses at the gathering told Politico's Inside AfD podcast that the gesture was intended as a Nazi salute, and that the kneeling man, Markus Motschmann, presented Reichardt with an AfD application, calling him "Mein Führer."

Reichardt has denied the gesture was a Hitler salute, describing it instead as part of a "humorous knighting ceremony." Motschmann has denied using the specific words attributed to him. Reichardt did not respond to requests for comment from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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wasn’t a Hitler salute,” but instead part of “a humorous knighting ceremony.

Reichardt chairs the AfD's state branch in Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern German state where the party is projected to perform strongly in September's regional elections. Polls suggest the AfD could win an outright majority, potentially establishing Germany's first far-right state government since World War II. The party's agenda in Saxony-Anhalt includes proposals to deport refugees or house them in "group homes," defund public broadcasters deemed unpatriotic, ban gay pride flags in schools, and promote social conservatism and large families.

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A Hitler salute is a declaration of belief, not a slip-up. Anyone who displays such a thing has no place in a parliament. And anyone who downplays it, remains silent, or sits it out is clearly complicit.

The potential rise of the AfD would challenge the "firewall" maintained by Germany's mainstream parties against the far right. Sven Schulze, the Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt from the conservative Christian Democratic Union, decried the photo, stating, "A Hitler salute is a declaration of belief, not a slip-up." He added, "Anyone who displays such a thing has no place in a parliament. And anyone who downplays it, remains silent, or sits it out is clearly complicit." Schulze called for the AfD's candidate for Minister-President, Ulrich Siegmund, to expel Reichardt from the party.

The AfD's Saxony-Anhalt branch defended Reichardt on X/Twitter, labeling the scrutiny a "cheap attempt to spin a scandal out of nothing." The party echoed Reichardt's explanation of a "knighting ceremony."

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cheap attempt to spin a scandal out of nothing.