Melanie Müller: Alleged Hitler salute on stage – admission of the indictment against pop singer is delayed

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Singer Melanie Müller: »Zicke-zacke, Zicke-zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi«

Photo: IMAGO/ArcheoPix / IMAGO/Christian Grube

In the case of the pop singer Melanie Müller (35), who is said to have publicly shown the Hitler salute several times, the decision on the admission of the lawsuit is delayed. The previously responsible head of department had changed the department, said a spokesman for the district court of Leipzig on request. A decision is therefore "certainly not to be expected in the next four weeks".

The public prosecutor's office in Leipzig had already brought charges against Müller in May because she is said to have publicly shown the Hitler salute several times. In mid-September, a video surfaced showing Müller during a performance in front of the Leipzig hooligan group "Rowdys Eastside". She starts singing the soccer fan chant "East, East, East Germany", then her right arm shoots up several times in succession. She does not show the Hitler salute, she claims. She had shouted "as often during my performances the saying 'Zicke-zacke, Zicke-zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi' as a mood bringer" and rhythmically pulled her arm upwards. In the context of the investigation, the police had searched Müller's home in Leipzig last year.

Proximity to right-wing grouping

A video made in August last year also shows the Müller at a boxing match of the martial arts circle "Frontière - Respect of the Streets". Research by SPIEGEL suggests that the organizer maintains close ties to the Nazi, hooligan and rocker scene. Steffen S., one of the founders, wears a Nazi eagle as well as the words "German Fighter" in Fraktur as tattoos. One of the main sponsors, Alexander O., got a black sun, a symbol of the SS that is often used by neo-Nazis as a substitute symbol for the banned swastika. His left upper arm is also emblazoned with two double SS victory runes, an SS Division skull and the inscription "Blood and Honor". The last three motifs are punishable in Germany.

At the request of SPIEGEL, Müller justified her participation in the Frontière boxing event by saying that she was an "enthusiastic boxing fan" and had been "invited there". The event was "sold to her and her management as a charity event". She knows nothing about connections to the Nazi, hooligan and rocker scene. Frontière, on the other hand, explains that Müller "came spontaneously and was not invited". Frontière distances itself from right-wing extremist groups and does not follow any political direction, it continues. »Anyone who knows us better knows that we are completely cosmopolitan.« Political ideas and political statements are "forbidden". Founder Steffen S. and sponsor Alexander O. left inquiries from SPIEGEL unanswered.

Melanie Müller was born in Oschatz, Saxony. In 2014, she won the eighth season of »Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!« and then appeared in numerous similar TV formats. As a pop singer, she sings in Mallorca in the discotheques Bierkönig and Oberbayern, among others, and performs at booked events.

SWE/DPA