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The founder of one of Germany’s best-known groups of coronavirus sceptics, who led protests against the government’s pandemic-era restrictions, went on trial Wednesday accused of fraud and tax evasion.
Michael Ballweg, 49, the founder of the movement Querdenken-711 (Lateral thinkers-711) is accused by prosecutors of diverting donations to fund his lifestyle.
In all, Ballweg is said to have leveraged his popularity to raise 1.2 million euros ($1.3 million) but used only 844,000 euros to finance the group’s activities.
The protest organiser smiled as he entered the courtroom in Stuttgart, wearing a shirt which read “freedom comes from courage”.
Ballweg’s group was at the centre of Germany’s nationwide Querdenken movement, which organised protests against anti-Covid measures.
Their rallies attracted thousands of people opposed to lockdowns and mask-wearing obligations, sometimes resulting in clashes with police.
The movement drew together activists from both the far-right and far-left of the political spectrum, as well as conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers.
Ballweg is charged with some 9,450 counts of fraud as well as attempted and succesful tax evasion.
He was arrested in June 2022 and initially charged with money-laundering in addition to the other accusations.
Trial dates have been set until mid-April next year.
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