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AfD Lawmaker Daniel Halemba Goes on Trial in Würzburg on Incitement and Money-Laundering Charges

A prior regional court review flagged proof issues around who played extremist music at a 2022 party.

Overview

  • The 24-year-old Bavarian legislator faces counts of money laundering, attempted and completed coercion, property damage, and Volksverhetzung, while a co-defendant faces related coercion and damage charges.
  • Prosecutors allege the neo-Nazi band Landser’s song “Wacht an der Spree” was played at Halemba’s July 2022 birthday party and that he tolerated it, arguing the lyrics promote hostility toward other nationalities.
  • The money-laundering allegation centers on roughly €3,854 transferred from his account to Estonian accounts, with prosecutors probing whether he knew the funds stemmed from fraud.
  • Additional charges stem from an alleged late-night attempt in May 2023 to influence AfD arbiter Thomas Bayer and from later pressure on a fraternity member witness that prompted an October 2023 arrest warrant for risk of evidence tampering.
  • The case is being heard by a juvenile chamber with eight hearing days scheduled through late January, a prior count over a privately displayed SS order was dropped as non-criminal, and Halemba and his lawyer denounce the proceedings as politically motivated.