A German court has slapped pop star and former reality TV personality Melanie Muller with a hefty fine for making a Nazi salute during a concert, as well as for being in possession of illegal drugs, charges she has denied.
On Friday, a district court in the city of Leipzig ordered Muller to pay €80,000 (around $89,000) for the violations. The amount of the fine ended up over 14 times higher than the €5,700 penalty demanded by the prosecutors.
A journalist for the German tabloid Bild reported from the courtroom that the pop star was “shocked” by the verdict and it took her some time to regain composure.
The accusations against the singer and former participant of such shows as The Bachelor and Pool Champions stemmed from her September 2022 concert in Leipzig, during which she had been filmed repeatedly raising her right arm in the air in a motion resembling the Nazi salute. The gesture is banned in Germany along with other symbols relating to Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist party.
Muller’s lawyers claimed that their client has no right-wing sympathies or views and that she was just pumping her fist and chanting slogans in order to cheer up the crowd.
However, Judge Lucas Findeisen rejected the arguments by the defense and found the signer guilty of “using the symbols of unconstitutional or terrorist organizations.”
The judge said it was clear from the footage that Muller had embraced the mood of the right-wing crowd at the event, making an illegal gesture several times and yelling the Nazi chant “Sieg, Heil” together with the concertgoers.
Findeisen also rejected the claim by the pop star that the cocaine and ecstasy found during a search of her apartment belonged to a friend.
During the trial, Muller’s lawyers complained that the negative coverage in the media had hampered her career and expressed hope that an acquittal would allow the 36-year-old to “regain her footing in Germany.”
The singer said that she used to perform regularly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as on the Spanish island of Mallorca, which is popular with German tourists. “Now I only have gigs in Mallorca. Everything else is gone,” she complained.
The verdict by the Leipzig court is not final and can be appealed.