Meet The Pro-Hitler German Politician Who Was Just Elected To European Parliament
Voigt was the NDP's chief candidate as the party grabbed 1% of the German vote for the European Union elections and became the NDP's first rep in the body, which approves EU-wide legislation and elects EU commissioners.
Voigt's record of right-wing activism has been the subject of numerous controversies.
According to Agence France-Presse, Voigt is the son of a Nazi assault division member. Deutsche Welle reported he was convicted for circulating pamphlets during the 2006 World Cup, "insinuating that a black player was not worthy to play for Germany's national team which they said should be made up of whites only."
"The pamphlet referred to defender Patrick Owomoyela who was born of a German mother and a Nigerian father. The flyers showed the German team's traditional white jersey imprinted with the No. 25 - worn then by Owomoyela - over the title: 'White, not just a jersey color! For a real NATIONAL team!'" the DW report continued.
Voigt was also reportedly convicted in 2004 of promoting Nazism after he called Hitler "a great man" and "questioned the number of Holocaust deaths and demanded the return of German land lost after World War II," according to English-language German news publication The Local.
"He also received a four-month suspended jail sentence for inciting violence after calling in a 1998 campaign speech for voters to engage in 'armed combat,'" the report noted.
Many European countries have laws criminalizing both Holocaust denial and the promotion of Nazi ideology. Germany and Austria have particularly vigorous enforcement of these laws.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the strong showing of Voigt and other right-wing populists in Sunday's elections "remarkable, and also regrettable." Her spokesman further labeled the NDP as "an anti-democratic, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-constitutional party."
Voigt did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.