Germany: Court proceedings begin for 'Sharia police' trial in Wuppertal

Court proceedings against seven men, who allegedly declared themselves to be Wuppertal’s “Sharia police” two years ago, began in the west German city on Wednesday.
According to press spokesperson Johannes Pinnel, the defendants are accused of breaching Germany’s 'uniform' law, which prohibits the wearing of “uniform or similar items of clothing during a gathering, to express shared political conviction." Five of the seven men, who are between 25 and 30 years old, patrolled Wuppertal in orange vests, which allegedly had “Sharia police" written on the back, while the other two defendants are accused of abetment. The group mainly spoke to other young men, whom they believed to be Muslims, and tried to stop them from gambling and going to bars.
Initially a Wuppertal judge had wanted to reject the case, stating that the writing on the vests did not pose a threat. However the prosecution filed a complaint with the Higher Regional Court in Dusseldorf and won. The Dusseldorf judge decided the defendants had intentionally styled themselves after religious police in other countries and had intended to intimidate. A decision was made that the men must therefore be tried in court.