Björn Höcke
Björn Höcke | |
|---|---|
Höcke in 2024 | |
| Leader of Alternative for Germany in Thuringia | |
| Assumed office February 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Member of the Landtag of Thuringia | |
| Assumed office 5 December 2014 | |
| Leader of Der Flügel | |
| In office 15 May 2020 – 30 April 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Andreas Kalbitz |
| Spokesperson of Der Flügel | |
| In office 15 May 2020 – 30 April 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Andreas Kalbitz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Björn Uwe Höcke 1 April 1972 Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany |
| Party | Alternative for Germany (since 2013) |
| Children | 4 |
Björn Uwe Höcke (born 1 April 1972) is a German politician of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD). He is chair of the state branch of the AfD in Thuringia, which is classified as a right-wing extremist organization. Höcke led the AfD to its first-ever first place finish in a state election at the 2024 Thuringian state election. It was the first time a far-right party placed first in an election since the Nazi era.
After Andreas Kalbitz was banned from the AfD, Höcke was the sole leader of the party's far-right Der Flügel faction, which the German government's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution declared a suspected right-wing extremist organization. Even after its formal dissolution, Höcke is considered the most influential politician in the AfD due to his strong network.