(Adnkronos) – The far-right magazine ‘Compact’, banned last July by then Interior Minister Nancy Faeser because it was a “mouthpiece for the right-wing extremist scene”, will be allowed to continue publishing in Germany. Today, judges of the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig confirmed their previous decision, issued in August, when they temporarily suspended the publication ban, deemed contrary to law, pending a final decision.
The German Constitution, or Basic Law, explained the president of the Court, Ingo Kraft, motivating today’s decision, which will be the final one, “guarantees freedom of opinion and the press even to enemies of the Constitution”. And while it is true that the magazine contains highly controversial and polemical statements, it has not crossed the red line of anti-constitutional behavior.
Director Juergen Elsaesser welcomed the decision, saying he was certain it would also have repercussions for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Elsaesser described the magazine as “the assault weapon of democracy” and expressed his conviction that if it had been impossible to ban Compact, it would have been impossible to ban the AfD as well. “We are the strongest voice of the opposition,” he added. “And you will hear from us again.” Founded in East Germany in 2010, Compact has a circulation of 40,000 copies. The magazine was classified by domestic intelligence as a far-right organization in 2021, which allowed it to be placed under surveillance.
