Telekom countered Höcke false Telekom advertising claims

Telekom countered Höcke false Telekom advertising claims

Deutsche Telekom vigorously reacted to a statement by Björn Höcke, an AfD politician, with regard to an alleged earlier advertising slogan of the company, and is considering legal steps. In a TV duel with the CDU politician Mario Voigt on the broadcaster World, the AfD top candidate for the state election in Thuringia claimed that Telekom had used the sentence "Everything for Germany" as an advertising saying in the past. A company spokesman rejected this claim as wrong and announced legal measures.

The sentence in question, which is "everything for Germany", is a forbidden solution of the SA, the paramilitary organization of the NSDAP. Björn Höcke must be responsible for the allegation of using the license plate of constitutional organizations in front of the district court in Halle because he is said to have used the slogan in a speech.

Telekom had already taken legal steps against AfD federal spokeswoman Alice Weidel in the previous year, after she also claimed that the company used the sentence as an advertising slogan. According to Telekom, Weidel had agreed to refrain from the corresponding claim in the future after it was asked to do so in the summer.

In the TV duel, Björn Höcke, who is a history teacher, defended his use of the controversial sentence and claimed not to know during the speech that it was a SA slogan. He described the sentence as a "common saying". Telekom confirmed that the claim of Höcke is not correct with regard to the company's former advertising slogan and is now examining further legal steps in this matter.