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German minister defiant after court lifts 'Compact' ban

August 15, 2024

Right-wing magazine "Compact" is celebrating after a German court provisionally lifted the ban on its publication. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Nancy Feaser is facing pushback.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jWCw
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser gestures with a finger at a press conference in Berlin
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is under pressure over the Compact ban (file photo)Image: Frederic Kern/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser defended the government's ban on the right-wing extremist Compact magazine on Thursday, a day after a court provisionally lifted the measure.

Faeser said Germany's Basic Law "expressly provides an instrument to ban organizations in order to protect democracy from enemies of the constitution."

The "Compact" magazine had been classified as a right-wing extremist publication by Germany's domestic intelligence agency.

Commenting on the Wednesday verdict, Faeser admitted the Interior Ministry had "lost in parts." However, she said the court's decision was "a completely normal process" under Germany's constitutional democracy.

Speaking in Berlin, Faeser said her ministry would not back down and would continue the legal battle.

What happened?

The Interior Ministry first banned Compact  in mid-July, describing the publication as a "central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene."

At the time, Faeser said that the ban showed her ministry was also "taking action against those intellectual arsonists who foment a climate of hatred and violence against refugees and migrants and seek to overthrow [Germany's] democratic state."

In response, Compact filed a lawsuit and an urgent motion against the immediate enforcement of the ban.

Compact allowed to publish again

In the court ruling, the judges raised doubts about the proportionality of the ban and allowed Compact to resume publishing under certain conditions. The lifting of the ban is provisional pending a final verdict.

A placard in a Berlin park showing a Compact front page, featuring the face of Economy Minister Robert Habeck with damage to his eye end nose
Thousands of demonstrators marched through Berlin in early August to protest the ban of the Compact magazineImage: Michael Kuenne/ZUMA/picture alliance

The court found that the laws on extremist organizations may be applied to companies operating in the press and media sector. It also described the prohibition order is formally lawful.

In the preliminary ruling, the court also stated that individual articles in the magazine and on the corresponding online channels constitute a violation of human dignity.

At the same time, the court considered the possibility of using milder means to prevent such violations, stopping short of an outright ban.

Compact celebrates, Faeser under pressure

Compact-publisher Jürgen Elässer celebrated the provisional verdict as a victory. In a statement on X, he promised his followers to restart publishing as soon as possible.

Jürgen Elsässer talks to the press in July, with police officers behind him
Compact publisher Jürgen Elsässer praised the verdict as a victory for his magazine (file photo)Image: Sven Kaeuler/tnn/dpa/picture alliance

In the meantime, Nancy Faeser faced widespread criticism, including from press associations.

The German Journalism Association (DJV) and Reporters Without Borders both described the provisional ruling as a positive signal for the freedom of the press. Reporters without Borders said that "freedom of the press also applies to uncomfortable and difficult-to-tolerate publications, even those with extreme content.”

A final ruling in the Compact lawsuit is not expected for another two or three years.

ch/dj (KNA, dpa, AP)