A German peace activist, Ella Brausova, was sentenced to a fine of 2,400 euros by a Cologne district court on Wednesday. In an interview with RT, she recounted the events that led to the charges and described her experience in court.
On August 25, 2024, Brausova participated in a demonstration convoy “for peace and friendship with Russia” as a passenger in a car. After the convoy returned to the Deutzer Werft parking lot, she got out of the car, waved to the occupants of another arriving vehicle and filmed the scene with her smartphone in her other hand.
While she was standing there, filming and waving, she was filmed by police officers who then approached her and accused her of raising her arm in a Hitler salute on the Deutzer Werft. The police subsequently filed a complaint against her. Roughly six months later, the case was heard in court.
When asked about her experience in the trial, Brausova said, “The judge did not believe me. The judge thought I had made the Hitler salute. For that, I got a fine of 2,400 euros, or 80 daily fines of 30 euros.”
The peace activist, who arrived in Germany in 1994 from the Russian Caucasus, now regrets coming to the country. She has been working in Germany for 30 years, pays taxes and has never committed any wrongdoing. In her work team of 120 people from various nations, she has never been accused of being a Nazi. She believes that Russophobia prevails in Germany. She wants only what simple people want: to live in peace.
Brausova’s lawyer, Markus Beisicht, characterized the trial as a political show trial and a farce. He described the verdict against the peace activist as a justice scandal. His client had simply waved to the occupants of the arriving vehicle, which was now being misinterpreted as a Hitler salute in court. Beisicht stated, “Here, an entirely innocent citizen has been convicted for her engagement in promoting peace with Russia.”
The court’s verdict will not be accepted and Brausova and her lawyer plan to appeal. The peace engagement will also continue. The next convoy for peace with Russia is scheduled to take place in Cologne on March 23 at 12:00, according to the lawyer.