BERLIN (AP) – A German court has overturned a government-imposed ban on Compact magazine, a far-right publication, stating that the case against its publisher did not meet the legal standards required for such a prohibition. The previous government, under former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, had banned Compact and its publisher, Compact-Magazin GmbH, in July, characterizing the magazine as a leading voice in the right-wing extremist movement. Faeser described the publication as "agitating in an unspeakable way against Jews, against people with a history of migration, and against our parliamentary democracy."
Following the ban, Compact appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which issued a suspension of the ban in August while the case was pending further review. After a hearing earlier this month, the court made the decision to lift the ban entirely on Tuesday. In its ruling, the court emphasized that Germany's constitution protects freedom of the press and opinion, stating that this protection extends "even for the enemies of freedom." The court noted that a ban on such media can only be justified if it can be demonstrably shown that the publisher's anti-constitutional activities are "formative" for the group involved.
The court's review determined that the material published by Compact did not meet that threshold, leading to the lifting of the ban. Compact magazine, which has been in circulation since 2010, is edited by far-right figure Jürgen Elsässer. The magazine reportedly has a circulation of around 40,000 copies and maintains an online video platform called Compact TV, along with an online store that sells books, CDs, DVDs, and various merchandise.
In its annual report for 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency expressed concern over the content of Compact, stating that it "regularly disseminates antisemitic, anti-minority, historically revisionist, and conspiracy theory content." This concern reflects the growing influence and strength of far-right movements in Germany, which have raised alarms among government officials and the public alike in recent years.
The resurgence of far-right ideologies in Germany has sparked an ongoing debate about freedom of expression, the limits of press freedom, and the responsibilities of government to act against hate speech and extremist views. The lifting of the ban on Compact magazine illustrates the complex balance between upholding constitutional rights and addressing the rise of extremist content in the media landscape.
