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Toronto Sun
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
German court overturns ban on far-right magazine Compact
The magazine said the verdict was a victory for 'press freedom' Published Jun 24, 2025 • 2 minute read Far-right magazine Compact was founded by the publisher and political activist Juergen Elsaesser. Photo by ROBERT MICHAEL / AFP BERLIN — A German court on Tuesday overturned a government ban on far-right magazine Compact, imposed last year over alleged incitement against minorities and the democratic order. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Federal Administrative Court said the magazine had published some 'anti-constitutional' material but the conditions for a ban had not been met. Presiding judge Ingo Kraft said much of the magazine's output fell into the category of 'exaggerated but permissible criticism'. Former interior minister Nancy Faeser issued the ban in July last year, saying Compact promoted 'unspeakable incitement against Jews, people with an immigrant background and against our parliamentary democracy.' At the same time, police raided the monthly magazine's premises in 14 different locations in four regions, seizing IT equipment, cash, gold, vehicles and other assets. The magazine said on its X account that the verdict was a 'resounding slap in the face' for Faeser and a victory for 'press freedom.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At the time of the ban Compact claimed a print circulation of 40,000 and it also has more than 500,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel. Despite the ban order, it had been permitted to keep publishing while the legal appeal was heard. 'Hostile to minorities' Faeser's successor as interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt of the conservative CDU/CSU alliance, said in a statement he 'acknowledged' the court decision and that his ministry would 'carefully evaluate' it. He did not indicate whether the ministry would appeal against the decision but added that 'bans on associations are still an applicable tool against extremist movements.' The interior ministry has the power to ban an organization if it deems it to be acting against the constitutional order. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The company that owns Compact was described in 2021 by German domestic intelligence as 'extremist, nationalist and hostile to minorities'. Run by the far-right journalist Juergen Elsaesser, Compact describes its editorial line as 'patriotic.' The magazine has published articles supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, castigating 'climate terrorists' and advocating for 'peace and friendship' with Russia. The court found that Compact published conspiracy theories and 'historical revisionism' about the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukraine war but said these were protected by freedom of the press and did not warrant a ban. The German Journalists' Association said the court decision represented a 'strengthening of the high value placed on press freedom' but also said that Compact had published 'many articles with right-wing and inhuman content which have nothing to do with journalistic standards'. Former interior minister Thomas de Maiziere banned the neo-Nazi 'Altermedia Deutschland' website in 2016 for inciting violence against foreigners, saying the publication was 'incompatible with our free democratic system.' NHL Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls World World
Reuters
24-06-2025
- 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.
