ONE of the most prominent figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany party went on trial today on charges of using a Nazi slogan.

Bjorn Hocke, the leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Thuringia and a powerful figure on the party’s hard right, plans to stand for election as the state’s governor later this year.

While never formally a national leader of AfD, the former history teacher has been consistently influential as the 11-year-old party steadily headed further right and ousted several comparatively moderate figures.