Martin Reichardt, a federal lawmaker for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), is under scrutiny after a photo surfaced showing him raising an arm in what appears to resemble a Nazi salute during a 2020 event.

The photo, published by Politico’s Inside AfD podcast, shows Reichardt with his left arm raised while another man kneels before him. Two attendees who were present said the gesture was intended as a Nazi salute and that the kneeling man called Reichardt “Mein Führer.” The kneeling man, Markus Motschmann, has denied using that phrase.

Reichardt told Politico the gesture “wasn’t a Hitler salute,” saying it was instead part of a humorous “knighting ceremony.” He did not respond to a request for comment from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Reichardt also chairs the AfD’s state branch in Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD is forecast to surge in the September regional elections, with polls suggesting it could win a majority and potentially form Germany’s first far-right state government since World War II.

The controversy comes as Saxony-Anhalt AfD leaders campaign on an agenda that includes deportation plans or “group homes” for refugees, cuts to public broadcasting viewed as unpatriotic, restrictions on gay pride flags in schools, and a broad shift toward conservative social policies and large-family support.

Supporters and party officials in Saxony-Anhalt defended Reichardt, calling the scrutiny a “cheap attempt to spin a scandal out of nothing.”