Bundestag Deputy Matthias Moosdorf Faces 3 Years in Prison for Nazi Salute 0 10

According to a statement from the prosecutor's office, in June 2023, the suspect allegedly "greeted a fellow party member at the eastern entrance of the Reichstag building with a heel click and a Nazi salute." In Germany, such a salute is illegal and punishable by imprisonment for up to three years. Bild named the deputy: he is 60-year-old Matthias Moosdorf, a member of parliament from Zwickau in the eastern German state of Saxony. "The accused allegedly knew that the salute was visible to other people in the lobby," prosecutors stated. In October, Moosdorf was stripped of parliamentary immunity in connection with this accusation. He posted a message on the platform X denying that he made this gesture. Moosdorf has been a member of the Alternative for Germany party since 2016 and until recently was the party's parliamentary group representative for foreign policy. However, in May, he was removed from this position after his friendly attitude towards Russia caused friction within the party. In October 2024, it also became known that Moosdorf, a professional cellist, is an honorary professor at the Moscow State Institute of Music. According to Bild, in 2023 and 2024, he gave several concerts in Russia, which were reportedly funded by the Kremlin. The "Bridge of Arts" foundation of German cultural manager Hans-Joachim Frey received over 600,000 euros for two Tchaikovsky festivals, during which Moosdorf performed cello concerts in Russia. The money was provided by Putin's "Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives," which independent Russian media refer to as a "feeding trough for propagandists." The fund was explicitly mentioned as a sponsor in the text accompanying Moosdorf's concerts. Moosdorf did not respond to a request regarding the fee he received for the two performances in St. Petersburg. In response to an earlier inquiry, he stated that the fee for the concert at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg in September 2024 is "internationally accepted for such events." It remains unclear who covered the costs of flights and accommodation for trips in 2023 and 2024 and what role Frey's foundation played in Moosdorf's honorary professorship at the Gnessin State Musical College, funded by the Russian Ministry of Culture.