Björn Höcke, a notorious antisemitic leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany Party (AfD),was fined €16,900 on Thursday for chanting the first two words of a Nazi slogan “Alles für Deutschland” (“Everything for Germany”).

The Nazi-era phrase carries a dark history, as it was once engraved on the daggers of Hitler’s stormtroopers. Historians suggest it encapsulates the Nazi ideal of complete loyalty and self-sacrifice for the sake of the greater good. After the Holocaust, the phrase was banned in Germany as part of efforts to curb the resurgence of Nazi ideology.

Germany’s criminal justice system enforces strict penalties for those who deny the Holocaust or provoke hatred towards minority groups. Persons caught selling swastikas, displaying the Nazi salute, and proclaiming phrases such as “Heil Hitler” could face up to five years in prison.

According to German newspaper Bild, Höcke displayed no remorse during his sentencing and even questioned the necessity of Germany’s anti-Nazi laws, arguing, “Do we want to ban the German language because the Nazis spoke German?”

It marks the second time in recent months that Höcke has been fined for using the Nazi phrase. In May, judges imposed a fine of around €13,000 on the former history teacher for a similar occurrence in 2021.

With a long history of fervent antisemitism, Höcke penned articles for a neo-Nazi website under a pseudonym. He also found himself nearly expelled from his own party after referring to Berlin’s Holocaust memorial as a “monument of shame” in 2017. Höcke’s disparaging remark reportedly led an artist to place a replica of the memorial outside the AfD leader’s house at the time.