A German reality star is sentenced to pay 80,000 euros in fines, equivalent to approximately 910,000 kronor, for making a Hitler salute in front of an audience in 2022, reports German media.
36-year-old Melanie Müller has won both the German version of "Celebrity Jungle", one of Germany's most popular reality series, as well as celebrity "Big Brother", and has since also pursued a music career.
During a performance at a Leipzig concert with an Oktoberfest theme, a right-wing extremist group in the audience shouted racist slogans, whereupon the singer allegedly stretched out her right arm in a Hitler salute. The whole incident was caught on film, but Müller herself claims it was a dance move she often does on stage.
In a statement, Melanie Müller says she does not hold any right-wing extremist views.
"I did not make a Hitler salute and I have never expressed myself in a racist or right-wing extremist manner."
Hitler salutes are punishable by up to three years' imprisonment in Germany, but courts often settle for fining instead.
