Melanie Müller, a notorious figure in Germany’s trash TV industry whose career has spanned adult entertainment, sex work, and singing, found herself at the centre of a legal battle this week. She was summoned to a court in Leipzig over allegations that she rendered the prohibited Hitler salute during a concert two years prior.
Müller faces accusations based on two amateur videos shot in September 2022, where she can be seen making a rigid-arm salute allegedly similar to the Hitler salute a total of eight times. Müller refused to provide evidence in court on Tuesday. However, in a previous statement, she denied committing any prohibited acts as suggested in the video footage.
Müller vehemently denied ever using the Hitler salute, or expressing herself in a manner that could be perceived as racist, far-right, or anti-constitutional. The court was informed that Müller had been hired to perform by Rowdy’s Eastside, a group with connections to the extreme right-wing organisation, the Hooligans. Interestingly, the concert location in Leipzig was originally a satellite facility of Buchenwald concentration camp from the Nazi era.
Reports suggest that during the concert, attendees began throwing the Hitler salute and shouting “Sieg Heil”. Müller claims she immediately ended her concert. However, video footage reveals her extending her arm while shouting “East Germany.” She reportedly asked her audience to keep the event secret, a request that was ultimately ignored. Subsequently, two videos found their way to the Bild tabloid which made them public. As a result, according to Muller’s attorney, she lost almost all of her concert bookings.
In a follow-up hearing in mid-August, one of Müller’s friends who was present at the concert will stand as a witness, along with experts on the illegal Hitler salute. The court hearings will focus on determining the illegality of an outstretched right arm gesture, as well as the importance of intent behind the gesture, which is an aspect that Müller’s legal counsel is insisting upon.