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Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Top German court contradicts government on ‘far-right' magazine ban
Germany's highest administrative court has declared a government ban on Compact magazine to be illegal. The nation's interior ministry imposed the restriction last year, claiming it was a 'right-wing extremist' publication involved in 'anti-constitutional' activities. In its ruling published on Tuesday, the Federal Administrative Court stated that the evidence presented by the interior ministry was insufficient and the 'anti-immigration statements' published by the magazine could be interpreted as 'exaggerated, but ultimately permissible, criticism of migration policy.' The ban imposed on Compact and its publisher is therefore 'unlawful,' the court concluded. The magazine's founder and editor-in-chief, Jurgen Elsasser, praised the decision with a post saying 'Victory!' on X and publishing an apparently AI-generated video of himself hitting a giant dragon in the head with a sword. 'Compact is the sharp sword of the Middle-Earth! Hobbits are not powerless!' he wrote in a nod to J.R.R. Tolkien. German Interior Minister Alexander Dorbrindt acknowledged the court decision and said that his department would 'carefully assess the ruling.' The ministry also admitted in a statement that the decision is 'final' and cannot be appealed. It nonetheless maintained that such bans against media outlets do not 'constitute impermissible prior censorship' and can be applied in the future. In its ruling, the court did state that the status of media outlet by itself does not grant any entity an exemption from such a ban if it is recognized as justified, and that freedom of press and opinion would not be applicable in such cases. 'Even if the statements expressing the association's fundamental beliefs are neither criminal nor illegal in themselves, they can be used as evidence for a ban,' the court's statement said, adding that an organization can be prohibited if it plans to carry out 'unconstitutional ideas' in a 'combative and aggressive manner.' The German government designated Compact an extremist outlet in 2021. The publication was launched in 2010 and had a circulation of 40,000. A number of news outlets linked its 2024 ban to its ties to Alternative for Germany (AfD), the second most popular political party in Germany. The ban also came just days after Compact's interview with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, prompting Moscow to link the two events.
Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Times
German court lifts ban on ‘mouthpiece for right-wing extremists'
The German government's ban on a far-right magazine described as the 'central mouthpiece' of extremists has been overturned. Founded in 2010 and edited by Jürgen Elsässer, Compact magazine had considerable reach beyond the hard-right bubble. It claimed a print circulation of 40,000 a month and millions of views online. The magazine was officially classified as an 'extremist organisation' by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, in 2021. Among the conspiracy theories that it promotes is the concept of 're-migration', a dog whistle for deporting ethnic-minority Germans. The magazine promotes conspiracy theories SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES Nancy Faeser took the step to ban the magazine last year when she was interior minister . She labelled Compact a 'central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene' — citing its antisemitic, racist and anti-democratic content. A federal administrative court in Leipzig then suspended Faeser's ban, pending a final ruling on Compact's appeal, which was issued on Tuesday, declaring that even inflammatory speech remains protected under the country's laws. The presiding judge, Ingo Kraft, concluded that Compact's output, while polemic and sharply worded, did not cross the threshold into active hostility against the democratic order. 'The basic law guarantees freedom of opinion and the press even for enemies of freedom,' Kraft said. Nancy Faeser ordered a ban on the magazine's publisher last year MAXIMILIAN SCHWARZ/REUTERS Germany's basic law provides MPs with the means to crack down on parties and speech like Holocaust denial that are deemed unconstitutional — a learning from its fascist past. However, there are no provisions allowing the ban of publications. The interior ministry had resorted to banning the organisation that publishes Compact. The court said, however, that this violated the proportionality requirements as subversive activities were not central to its mission. Even sharp critiques of migration policy and revisionist takes on history must be tolerated in a pluralistic democracy, the court argued. The ruling comes as a blow to proponents of a crackdown on extremism, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to become Germany's second-largest party. In 2021, Germany's government had tightened laws punishing abuse against politicians. In one such case a journalist at a far-right magazine was convicted for sharing a manipulated image of Faeser showing her holding a fake sign with the words 'I hate freedom of opinion'. • What is AfD? The reasons behind rise of the hard right in Germany Elsässer celebrated the Compact ruling, and predicted that, if Compact could not be banned, then it would be impossible to ban the AfD. The Social Democrats, the junior partner in Germany's coalition government, announced on Monday that they would push to start proceedings on banning the AfD, which was also recently labelled 'extremist' by the Verfassungsschutz. Alexander Dobrindt, the current interior minister, said the government would respect and review the ruling, but added that 'banning organisations remains an applicable and possible tool against extremist endeavours'.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
A German court lifts a government ban on a far-right magazine
Jürgen Elsässer, editor-in-chief of Compact, and his wife Stephanie Elsässer, arrive at the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday June 24, 2025. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP) BERLIN — A German court on Tuesday lifted a ban imposed by the government last year on a far-right magazine, ruling that the case against it didn't clear the high bar required to outlaw its publisher. Germany's previous government banned Compact magazine and the company that publishes it, Compact-Magazin GmbH, in July. Then-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described Compact as 'a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene,' and said that it 'agitates in an unspeakable way against Jews, against people with a history of migration and against our parliamentary democracy.' Compact appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which suspended the ban in August pending a full consideration of the case. Following a hearing earlier this month, the court lifted the ban altogether on Tuesday. The court said in a statement that Germany's constitution guarantees freedom of the press and opinion 'even for the enemies of freedom' and that, on grounds of proportionality, a ban could only be justified if the publisher's anti-constitutional activities were proven to be 'formative' for the group. It said a review of the evidence showed that the material in question didn't reach that threshold. Compact is run by far-right figure Jürgen Elsässer, and produces the monthly magazine of the same name, which has a circulation of about 40,000, as well as an online video channel, Compact TV. It also runs an online shop selling books, CDs, DVDs and other merchandise. Compact has been published since 2010. In its annual report for 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency said that it 'regularly disseminates ... antisemitic, anti-minority, historically revisionist and conspiracy theory content.' The strength of the far right has caused increasing concern in Germany in recent years.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A German court lifts a government ban on a far-right magazine
BERLIN (AP) — A German court on Tuesday lifted a ban imposed by the government last year on a far-right magazine, ruling that the case against it didn't clear the high bar required to outlaw its publisher. Germany's previous government banned Compact magazine and the company that publishes it, Compact-Magazin GmbH, in July. Then-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described Compact as 'a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene,' and said that it 'agitates in an unspeakable way against Jews, against people with a history of migration and against our parliamentary democracy.' Compact appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which suspended the ban in August pending a full consideration of the case. Following a hearing earlier this month, the court lifted the ban altogether on Tuesday. The court said in a statement that Germany's constitution guarantees freedom of the press and opinion 'even for the enemies of freedom' and that, on grounds of proportionality, a ban could only be justified if the publisher's anti-constitutional activities were proven to be 'formative' for the group. It said a review of the evidence showed that the material in question didn't reach that threshold. Compact is run by far-right figure Jürgen Elsässer, and produces the monthly magazine of the same name, which has a circulation of about 40,000, as well as an online video channel, Compact TV. It also runs an online shop selling books, CDs, DVDs and other merchandise. Compact has been published since 2010. In its annual report for 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency said that it 'regularly disseminates ... antisemitic, anti-minority, historically revisionist and conspiracy theory content.' The strength of the far right has caused increasing concern in Germany in recent years.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
German court overturns ban on far-right magazine
BERLIN, June 24 (Reuters) - A German court has overturned a ban on far-right magazine Compact that was accused of inciting hatred against Jews and foreigners, with a judge deciding on Tuesday that the publication was not extreme enough to justify it. The Federal Administrative Court's ruling, opens new tab dealt a blow to attempts to contain the nativist Alternative for Germany party, the second-largest in parliament after February's election, and its range of online and print outriders. Former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned the magazine, which had a circulation of 40,000 and a deep social media footprint, last July, labelling it a "mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene". In his ruling, however, Ingo Kraft said that although Compact contained many extreme statements, including voicing support for expelling German citizens of migrant background, they did not amount to proof that the organisation behind the magazine was "intrinsically" unconstitutional. "The Basic Law allows even its enemies freedom of opinion and of the press," Kraft wrote. The magazine's chief editor Juergen Elsaesser, who has said Compact wants to overthrow Germany's "regime" and describes himself as a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, retweeted a picture of himself captioned with the single word: "Sieg!", or "Victory". For the AfD, which has long pursued a strategy of peppering the state with complicated lawsuits and parliamentary questions that slow its working and discredit them, the ruling is a morale boost after it underperformed polls in the election. Bjoern Hoecke, leader of the party's most radical wing, cast his party and the magazine as defenders of democratic norms against the previous Social Democrat interior minister's authoritarian instincts. "Instead of prosecuting Islamists, she hunted down harmless critics of the government," he wrote on social media. "She caused great harm to democracy." The Interior Ministry, now led by the conservative Alexander Dobrindt, did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
