80,000 euro fine
Melanie Müller sentenced for Hitler salute
Ballermann singer Melanie Müller has been fined tens of thousands of euros for making the Hitler salute.
On Friday, the Leipzig District Court found the 36-year-old guilty of using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations and sentenced her to a total fine of 80,000 euros. The verdict is not yet final.
Controversial appearance
Müller performed in Leipzig in September 2022 as a singer in front of a rocker group that, according to Judge Lucas Findeisen, is part of the right-wing milieu. She is said to have raised her right arm several times on stage. Nazi slogans were repeatedly shouted from the audience, and Müller also repeatedly shouted "Zickezacke", which was answered by the audience with shouts of "Heil, Heil, Heil".
The investigation was triggered by a video in which Müller could be seen raising her right arm several times during the performance, reminiscent of the Hitler salute.
Accusations denied
Müller, whose real name is Melanie Blümer, denied the accusations. She told the media that this gesture had been part of her stage performance for years. She also said that the hand gesture had no right-wing extremist background. In a statement at the time, she said that she had "nothing to do with right-wing extremist or nationalist ideas".
As 0.69 grams of cocaine and an ecstasy tablet were also found in Müller's possession, she was also found guilty of possession of narcotics.
Sentence higher than expected
With the verdict, the court went well beyond the prosecution's request, which had only demanded a fine of 5700 euros. The defense pleaded for an acquittal and argued that the inciting gesture for the audience was a neutral movement while singing on stage, which was not prohibited.
Over the past ten years, the singer had won reality television shows such as "Dschungelcamp" and "Big Brother". Today she performs as a singer on Mallorca.
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