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They chanted ‘sieg geil’, not ‘sieg heil’, argues German lawyer defending football fans
A group of teenagers and young adults in eastern Germany were convicted of chanting the Nazi rallying cry
January 15, 2026 17:06
A group of teenagers and young adults in eastern Germany were convicted of chanting the Nazi rallying cry
January 15, 2026 17:06The lawyer defending a group of Germans accused of singing the Nazi chant “sieg heil” at a football match told the court that they were actually saying “sieg geil”, which translates as “awesome victory”.
The defence failed, and Hohenstein-Ernstthal District Court in the eastern federal state of Saxony ruled that a group of teenagers and young adults did indeed use the words at a football pitch in the town of Meerane.
The group had been barbecuing, drinking alcohol and playing a Viking-style drinking game but, at around 9pm, the group became louder and chants of “sieg heil” were heard by multiple witnesses who testified in court, included an off-duty police woman.
“Sieg heil” – the chilling rallying cry for the Nazi regime – is expressly outlawed under German law.
But in court the defendants’ lawyer, Martin Kohlmann, argued that the group had shouted “sieg geil” in supposed celebration after winning the drinking game.
He told the court that one person shouted “sieg” and the others responded with “geil”, expressing joy, he claimed, at being allowed to drink small bottles of schnapps awarded to the winning team.
The Chemnitz-based lawyer, Kohlmann, is also the leader of the nationalist Free Saxons party.
After hearing all evidence, District Judge Peter Schubert convicted two of the four defendants of using symbols of unconstitutional organisations, and the use of Nazi-era slogans such as “sieg heil”.
But two defendants were acquitted after prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence.
The 19-year-old defendant was sentenced under youth criminal law to complete 15 hours of unpaid community work and to pay court costs. The court heard that he was unemployed and occasionally worked weekend shifts in private security.
Proceedings against a fourth defendant, who failed to attend the hearing without excuse, were separated. The court later issued a penalty order in his absence, imposing a fine of around £850.
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