German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has taken decisive action against right-wing extremism by banning the magazine ‘Compact’ and its parent company Conspect Film GmbH. The magazine, led by editor-in-chief Jürgen Elsässer, has been classified as extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution since 2022.Early on Tuesday morning, authorities launched a coordinated operation across multiple states, including Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt, to search the organization’s premises and the homes of leading figures, management, and shareholders. The primary objective of these searches was to seize assets and gather evidence.Minister Faeser justified the ban by stating, ‘It is a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene. This magazine incites hatred against Jews, people with a history of migration, and our parliamentary democracy in an unspeakable manner’. The magazine has been accused of promoting anti-Semitic and anti-democratic views, as well as fueling a climate of hate and violence against refugees and migrants.The ban extends beyond print media, affecting the magazine’s online presence as well. ‘Compact’ had a significant digital footprint, with its YouTube videos receiving up to 100,000 clicks and some documentaries garnering up to 1 million views. The Interior Ministry expressed concerns that the aggressive and militant content published by ‘Compact’ could incite readers and viewers to take action against the constitutional order.This move by the German government represents a strong stance against what it perceives as threats to democracy and social cohesion. Faeser emphasized that the ban demonstrates the government’s commitment to taking action against ‘intellectual arsonists’ who seek to undermine the democratic state.
Key points
- German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has banned the right-wing extremist magazine ‘Compact’ and its parent company.
- The ban aims to counter hate speech against Jews, migrants, and parliamentary democracy.
- Authorities conducted searches across multiple states to seize assets and gather evidence.
- The magazine had a significant online presence, with some content reaching up to 1 million views.
