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DW
a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: AfD keeps 'suspected extremist' label – DW – 07/23/2025
A court has upheld the classification of the AfD party as "suspected right-wing extremist" by domestic intelligence. An appeal against its listing as "confirmed extremist" is still running. DW has this story and more. A top German court has rejected a final complaint by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) over its assessment by the domestic intelligence agency as a suspected right-wing extremist group. The classification means that the party can be monitored by the BfV domestic intelligence agency, including by recruiting undercover informants from its ranks. An upgraded assessment of the party as "confirmed" right-wing extremist by the BfV from May is still suspended pending a ruling after another legal challenge by the AfD. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin as their countries boost their partnership amid troubled trans-Atlantic ties. The DW newsroom in Bonn wishes all our readers on Wednesday, July 23! We will be reporting on a meeting between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron as the two leaders seek to bolster their countries' partnership at the heart of the European Union amid a myriad of challenges. The evening will also see another momentous European encounter as Spain plays Germany in the Women's European Championship semifinals in Zurich days after the German team snatched a dramatic win over France. DW will bring you reports, analyses and explainers on these and other stories to keep you up to date with all the topics currently in focus in Germany.
Local Germany
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
How one German state is blocking AfD members from civil service roles
Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won't be able to enter public service positions in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate going forward, the state's interior minister, Michael Ebling (SPD), announced on Thursday in Mainz. The western German state is changing the rules around recruitment for civil servants. Specifically, applicants for government positions will be required to declare that they do not belong to an extremist organisation (and have not in the past five years). The move effectively bans AfD members from becoming civil servants, because the far-right party is under observation by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in the state of in Rhineland-Palatine. READ ALSO: Far-right AfD gets surprise over common names of German benefits recipients The rule change may impact existing employees in the public sector as well. Going forward, membership of an extremist organisation could constitute a disciplinary offence. Disciplinary actions would vary depending on individual cases, but employees with proven violations of their duty of loyalty to the constitution could expect to be removed from service. "Loyalty to the constitution is not a wish or a recommendation…it is the immovable duty of every civil servant in our country," said interior minister Ebling. "Anyone who puts himself at the service of this state must be loyal to the constitution at all times, without ifs and buts." According to the state's interior ministry office, even stricter requirements apply to police officers. AfD politician rejects the move The AfD is not happy about the move, and has reacted with criticism of the interior minister. AfD member of parliament and deputy state chairman Sebastian Münzenmaier slammed the move as a 'declaration of political bankruptcy'. Advertisement In defence of the rule change, state interior minister Ebling said that 'a suspected case [of extremism] means that there are sufficiently verifiable indications of anti-constitutional tendencies'. The AfD party has been designated as a confirmed extremist organisation in several German states. In May, the party was labeled as a right-wing extremist group at the national level by Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV). However, the party immediately challenged the label in court , causing the BfV to suspend the classification until the legal appeal is resolved. FACT CHECK: Are immigrants in Germany taking advantage of the welfare state? With reporting by DPA.
DW
25-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
German court lifts ban on far-right Compact magazine – DW – 06/25/2025
Judges ruled in favor of the monthly publication, citing freedom of expression protections. The decision could also have consequences for the ongoing debate on banning Germany's far-right AfD party. The decision by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig not to ban the magazine was a difficult one, according to Judge Ingo Kraft. "However, the Basic Law guarantees freedom of opinion and freedom of the press even to the enemies of freedom, trusting in the power of free social debate," he said on Tuesday, June 24. The ruling is a defeat for former German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who banned magazine in 2024. At the time, she justified the move saying the magazine is "a central mouthpiece for the right-wing extremist scene. This magazine incites against Jews, people with ethnic migrant backgrounds and against our parliamentary democracy in the most abhorrent way." The judges now said there was reason to doubt whether freedom of the press and freedom of expression had been sufficiently taken into account in the ban. They argued that terms such as "remigration" and "cult of guilt" are covered by freedom of expression. This also applied to conspiracy theories and historical revisionist theories. A 2023 report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency, features an entire page dedicated to — a magazine and multimedia company headquartered in Falkensee, on the outskirts of Berlin. According to the BfV, the magazine's publisher says it sells 40,000 print copies a month. The number of subscribers to the YouTube channel is significantly higher, at 513,000 as of June 10, 2025. " sees itself as part of what it calls the resistance movement, and it is seen by other actors among the so-called new right as part of the scene," the BfV wrote. "The main feature of many of its published articles is agitation against the federal government and against the current political system." Examples cited by the BfV include abstruse conspiracy theories used to agitate against state institutions and pluralist society. "Historic revisionist content and antisemitic narratives round out the agenda," it added. Moreover, the report said, the outfit maintains ties with right-wing extremist groups like the German Identitarian movement (IBD) and the eastern German regional party the "Freie Sachsen," or Free Saxons. Faeser had leaned heavily on the constitution, Germany's Basic Law, in calling for the right-wing extremist publication to be banned. Article 9 of the Basic Law, which regulates freedom of assembly, reads: "Associations whose aims or activities contravene the criminal laws or that are directed against the constitutional order or the concept of international understanding shall be prohibited." Compact's editor-in-chief, Jürgen Elsässer, is a suspected right-wing extremist who belonged to the far left as a young man. Now in his 60s, Elsässer was once a member of the Communist Youth Wing and wrote for the newspaper, (). He later worked as a reporter for other left-wing media, including (New Germany), which was a key news organ for the socialist East German government when the country was still partitioned. After his victory in court, the editor-in-chief was triumphant, saying "we have defeated the dictatorial tendencies." Elsässer also thanked the judges, who he said had weighed up all sides in a strictly objective manner. Elsässer also believes this is a good sign for all those seeking to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany party. "Because if it was impossible to ban it is also impossible to ban the AfD," he said. A ban on the party has been under discussion for years. In addition to the federal government, the parliament (Bundestag) and the chamber of the federal states (Bundesrat) could submit a corresponding application to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. So far, however, there is no majority for this anywhere. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
25-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany press freedom: Ban on right-wing magazine is lifted – DW – 06/25/2025
A German court has ruled to lift the ban on the right-wing extremist magazine "Compact." The decision could also have consequences for the debate on banning the AfD. The decision by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig not to ban the magazine was a difficult one, according to Judge Ingo Kraft. "However, the Basic Law guarantees freedom of opinion and freedom of the press even to the enemies of freedom, trusting in the power of free social debate," he said on Tuesday, June 24. The ruling is a defeat for former German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser who banned magazine in 2024. She justified the move, saying: "It's a central mouthpiece for the right-wing extremist scene. This magazine incites against Jews, people with ethnic migrant backgrounds and against our parliamentary democracy in the most abhorrent way." The judges now said there was reason to doubt whether freedom of the press and freedom of expression had been sufficiently taken into account in the ban. They argued that terms such as "remigration" and "cult of guilt" are covered by freedom of expression. This also applied to conspiracy theories and historical revisionist theories. A 2023 report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency, features an entire page dedicated to — a magazine and multimedia company headquartered in Falkensee, on the outskirts of Berlin. According to the BfV, the magazine's publisher says it sells 40,000 print copies a month. The number of subscribers to the YouTube channel is significantly higher, at 513,000 as of June 10, 2025. " sees itself as part of what it calls the resistance movement, and it is seen by other actors among the so-called new right as part of the scene," the BfV wrote. "The main feature of many of its published articles is agitation against the federal government and against the current political system." Still, Article 5 does put some limits on speech, saying, "These rights shall find their limits in the provisions of general laws, in provisions for the protection of young persons and in the right to personal honor." Examples cited by the BfV include abstruse conspiracy theories used to agitate against state institutions and pluralist society. "Historic revisionist content and antisemitic narratives round out the agenda," it added. Moreover, the report said, the outfit maintains ties with right-wing extremist groups like the German Identitarian movement (IBD) and the eastern German regional party the "Freie Sachsen," or Free Saxons. Wanting to send a signal Faeser had leaned heavily on the constitution, Germany's Basic Law, in calling for the right-wing extremist publication to be banned. Article 9 of the Basic Law, which regulates freedom of assembly, reads: "Associations whose aims or activities contravene the criminal laws or that are directed against the constitutional order or the concept of international understanding shall be prohibited." Compact's editor-in-chief, Jürgen Elsässer, is a suspected right-wing extremist who belonged to the far left as a young man. Now in his 60s, Elsässer was once a member of the Communist Youth Wing and wrote for the newspaper, (). He later worked as a reporter for other left-wing media, including (New Germany), which was a key news organ for the socialist East German government when the country was still partitioned. After his victory in court, the Compact editor-in-chief was triumphant: "We have defeated the dictatorial tendencies." He also thanked the judges, who had weighed up all sides in a strictly objective manner, said Elsässer. He also believes this is a good sign for all those seeking to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany party: "Because if it was impossible to ban it is also impossible to ban the AfD." A ban on the party has been under discussion for years. In addition to the federal government, the parliament (Bundestag) and the chamber of the federal states (Bundesrat) could submit a corresponding application to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. So far, however, there is no majority for this anywhere. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoWhile you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
11-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
German court to rule on banned right-wing extremist magazine – DW – 06/10/2025
The right-wing extremist magazine Compact was outlawed in 2024, but it's available on newsstands again after winning an appeal. Now, Germany's Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig will have the final word. In July 2024, then Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned Compact magazine. She justified the move, saying: "It's a central mouthpiece for the right-wing extremist scene. This magazine incites against Jews, people with ethnic migrant backgrounds and against our parliamentary democracy in the most abhorrent way." Compact sees itself as part of 'resistance movement' A 2023 report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency, features an entire page dedicated to Compact — a magazine and multimedia company headquartered in Falkensee, on the outskirts of Berlin. According to the BfV, the magazine's publisher says it sells 40,000 print copies a month. The number of subscribers to the Compact YouTube channel is significantly higher, at 513,000 as of June 10, 2025. "Compact sees itself as part of what it calls the resistance movement, and it is seen by other actors among the so-called new right as part of the scene," the BfV wrote. "The main feature of many of its published articles is agitation against the federal government and against the current political system." Ties to extremist Identitarian movement Examples cited by the BfV include abstruse conspiracy theories used to agitate against state institutions and pluralist society. "Historic revisionist content and antisemitic narratives round out the agenda," it added. Moreover, the report said, the outfit maintains ties with right-wing extremist groups like the German Identitarian movement (IBD) and the eastern German regional party the "Freie Sachsen," or Free Saxons. Former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned Compact in July 2024 Image: AFP Faeser said the message was clear — we will not allow anyone to define who does and does not belong in Germany by their ethnicity. "Our constitutional state protects all those who have been attacked because of their religion, their origins, their skin color or their desire to live in a democracy," she said last July. Faeser wanted to send a signal Faeser leaned heavily on the constitution, Germany's Basic Law, in calling for the right-wing extremist publication to be banned. Article 9 of the Basic Law, which regulates freedom of assembly, reads: "Associations whose aims or activities contravene the criminal laws or that are directed against the constitutional order or the concept of international understanding shall be prohibited." Compact's editor-in-chief, Jürgen Elsässer, is a suspected right-wing extremist who belonged to the far left as a young man. Now in his 60s, Elsässer was once a member of the Communist Youth Wing and wrote for the newspaper, Arbeiterkampf (The Workers' Fight). He later worked as a reporter for other left-wing media, including Neue Deutschland (New Germany), which was a key news organ for the socialist East German government when the country was still partitioned. Elsässer (right) was joined in Leipzig by CompactTV boss Paul Klemm Image: Jan Woitas/dpa/picture alliance Compact can publish until final verdict Elsässer and other plaintiffs fought the ban on his media operations before the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig. He was partially successful in August 2024 when it was determined that he could continue publishing Compact until a final verdict had been handed down. In granting its stay, the court said the outcome of the case remained unclear as it had yet to be determined whether Compact had acted against the constitutional order. The court did, however, immediately find evidence of violations of human dignity in which citizens with migrant backgrounds were demeaned. Notwithstanding, it also voiced doubt as to whether that was enough to justify a ban. For that would represent the most serious intervention possible regarding speech and press freedoms guaranteed in Article 5 of the Basic Law. Where does press freedom begin and end? Still, Article 5 does put some limits on speech, saying, "These rights shall find their limits in the provisions of general laws, in provisions for the protection of young persons and in the right to personal honor." The trial to define where press freedoms in Germany begin and end will start on June 10. It's unclear when a decision will be handed down. What are Germany's limits on free speech? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This text was originally written in German.
