Overview

• On August 7 the City of Dortmund instructed the AfD Kreisverband via its lawyer to strip the municipal emblem from campaign posters or face legal action
• City officials cite neutrality rules and trademark protections that bar any party from using the Dortmund coat of arms in electoral materials
• AfD leadership acknowledges around 950 posters in circulation with the emblem, says additional prints are on order and will decide this weekend if it will comply or legally challenge the demand
• Dortmund’s top AfD candidate Heiner Garbe contends that past precedent and a retroactive permission request justify keeping the emblem on posters
• The CDU Dortmund criticized the emblem’s use as an improper appropriation of the city’s heritage ahead of the September 14 municipal elections