Björn Höcke is one of the most prominent figures in Germany's far-right political movement, set to lead its campaign in an election later this year.
He's also accused of using a Nazi slogan at two separate political events, with the first trial set to get underway this week.
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Experts say the allegations against him and the support for his party form just part of a "concerning" shift towards the far-right and extremism across Europe.
As the European election approaches, here's a look at the situation unfolding.
The accusations against a history teacher turned political leader
A history teacher turned politician, 52-year-old Björn Höcke is a founding member and leader of the regional branch of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the neighbouring state of Thuringia.
Prosecutors in the eastern city of Halle say he ended a campaign speech in May 2021 with the phrase, "Everything for Germany".
The phrase — "Alles für Deutschland" in German — was inscribed on weapons used by Nazi paramilitary officers.
The trial was already scheduled to begin on April 18 when prosecutors announced they planned to charge him with a second count of using the phrase, this time on December 12 of 2023.
They allege he used the phrase "in certain knowledge of the punishability" at an AfD event in his home state of Gera — allegedly saying "Everything for …" and encouraging the audience to shout "Germany" in response.
Prosecutors are seeking to have them heard at the same time as the original offence.
In the lead up to the trial, Mr Höcke has attempted to defend himself during a televised debate earlier this month.
During the debate against centre-right politician Mario Voigt, Mr Höcke claimed telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom had used the phrase as a marketing slogan in the past.
The company has since told German media the claim "is false" and says it will consider legal action.
Dr Ben Gook, a lecturer in cultural studies at the University of Melbourne, says Mr Höcke has "made a name for himself" in more right-leaning parts of the country.
"[The east] is seen as the more radicalised part of the AfD, but also for politics in general," Dr Gook says.
"He has been in court before with journalists who accused him of being fascist and a Nazi.
"He claimed that was defamation but the court actually ruled that it was viable, that it was fine to call him that because of various statements he'd made.
"This situation with him being in court again is an interesting one [because] it gives him publicity, which he doesn't seem to mind."
Mr Höcke also faces trial on charges of incitement in a separate case related to a 2022 Telegram post. The court in Muehlhausen, located in his home state, has set no dates yet.
When it comes to predicting the outcome of the trial, Australian National University social psychologist Dr Charlie Crimston says it's "difficult to predict".
"I think whatever the outcome it will be used by opposing sides to increase support for their cause," she says.
"I think if there is growing dissatisfaction in the country over the failure of leaders using slogans, propaganda and symbolism currently banned under German law, we may very well see people take to the streets again."
'Increasing concern' about Alternative für Deutschland
A nationalist and far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland has experienced growing success since its formation in 2013.
It was founded by a group of elite conservatives frustrated with the leadership of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The party has "drifted further and further to the political right", says Dr Crimston, and "morphed into an anti-immigrant party".
"Over time there seems to be increasing concern that members and supporters of the party hold extreme ideologies and xenophobic, racist, and nationalist sentiments," she says.
"The support they currently attract in certain parts of Germany is certainly a cause for concern.
"And I think ultimately [it's] a potential threat to democratic values, to social cohesion and the well-being vulnerable groups within society, as well as the potential normalisation of extremism."
[election results] By the 2017 election it had garnered 12.6 per cent of the vote, almost six million people.
Support for the party hit a record high of 23 per cent last December, according to polling institute Forsa.
It has also faced repeated street protests since the leaking in January of meeting minutes where a senior party member discussed the "remigration" of "unassimilated" migrants with German passports.
Last week, the party found itself facing further scrutiny amid allegations two of its candidates were being investigated over a scandal involving disseminating pro-Russia propaganda.
The AfD's top candidate in the European election, Maximilian Krah, and fellow candidate Petr Bystron, have both denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Bystron has specifically denied taking money from a pro-Russian media site.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a political gathering she was "not surprised".
"They have never made a secret of their admiration for the democracy despiser in the Kremlin," she said.
"They have carried his propaganda into our societies … whether they have taken bribes for it or not."
Simon Copland is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the Australian National University, studies the growth of far-right movements.
"One of the things that has led to these movements has been a real distrust in the political system as it currently exists," he says.
"The big old major parties [like] the Christian Democratic Union or the Social Democratic Party have really failed a lot of people.
"That's become really clear after the Global Financial Crisis where people just haven't been able to rebound back."
People 'mined' to think about the far-right, experts say
Germany's government has in recent weeks attempted to stem the appeal of parties like AfD.
Earlier this month, they vowed to tackle rising crime and an increase in the number of suspects with non-German backgrounds.
Germany's interior minister Nancy Faeser presented data showing a 13.5 per cent increase in the number of suspects with foreign backgrounds and a 5.5 per cent rise in overall crime across Germany last year.
Ms Faeser said foreign offenders "must leave Germany much more quickly" and deportation rules "must be enforced".
Opposition parties since pounced on the figures to call for tougher migrant policies such as tighter border controls and more deportations.
Taking on the same talking points as their far-right counterparts, Mr Copeland suggests, may be a mistake for Germany's governing party.
"The first thing [to combat far-right movements] is to try and avoid as much as possible giving legitimacy to their ideas," he says.
"Immigration is one of the biggest issues that far-right parties focus on, blaming immigrants for a whole range of social problems, whether it's housing stress or faltering infrastructure or social unrest.
"And one of the frustrating things has been watching mainstream political parties from both the left and the right buy into that.
"We're seeing that in Germany at the moment … the mainstream current government is talking about the need to deport immigrants and making a focus on immigration.
"That's a mistake, because what it actually ends up doing is priming people to think about immigration as the issue.
"If you think immigration is the biggest problem, you go for the party that's going to do the most on it, and that's why people get mined to think about the far right."
'Radical right parties' seeking greater foothold in European election
The rise in far-right ideology is a growing concern as the European Parliament prepares for its latest election in June.
Voters across all 27 European Union (EU) countries will vote for members to represent them, deciding on a 720-person strong parliament.
Each country can have a minimum of six members and a maximum of 96. These same members will elect a president for the parliament and a president of the European Commission.
There are already nine AfD members elected to the European Parliament.
"There have been versions of this happening in the last few rounds of elections … a worry about these types of parties getting footholds," says Dr Gook.
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) a think tank with offices in seven European capitals, predicts a major shift to the right among voters.
In its January briefing, it tipped "populist radical right parties gaining votes" and "centre-left and green parties losing votes" across Europe.
"Inside the European Parliament, a populist right coalition of Christian democrats, conservatives, and radical right MEPs could emerge with a majority for the first time," it said in the report.
"[Our model] predicts that the 'EU critics' on the radical right and radical left will increase dramatically to hold 37 per cent of the seats, compared to 30 per cent in the current parliament.
"In short, we expect that populist voices, particularly on the radical right, are likely to be louder after the 2024 elections than at any point since the European Parliament was first directly elected in 1979."
The ECFR warns this outcome could have consequences in terms of how the European Parliament votes on migration, asylum, environmental policy and sanctions.
Dr Crimston says: "Our research shows that as we get closer and closer to an election, tensions are indeed likely to increase as people consider what life might be like in Germany after the election.
"We know that heightened polarisation in these contexts does indeed predict quite extreme responses such as increased anxiety about the future state of society, higher perceived likelihood of society descending into civil war, and a stronger perceived obligation to fight to overturn the results of the election.
"The more tensions increase in the lead up to the election, I think the more likely we will see fallout."
The European election will be held on June 6-9, 2024. Germany will hold state elections in several areas later this year.
ABC/AP/Reuters
