German court overturns ban on far-right magazine Compact

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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.

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.”

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.

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.”