On Tuesday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced that the far-right Compact magazine has been banned due to its promotion of "extremist" views and "anti-Semitic conspiracy theories." She ordered the publication to cease printing paper copies, shut down its website, and remove all content from its YouTube channel. Compact will have an opportunity to appeal, though should it fail, the state could seize its assets.
Founder and editor-in-chief Jürgen Elsässer has long advocated for an "overthrow" of the "regime," and championed the creation of another East Germany with far-right politician Björn Höcke as its leader and "German-Russian battalions" protecting its border.
"Today I banned the right-wing extremist Compact magazine," Faeser said. "Compact is the central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene. It has a clear agenda to link right-wing extremists and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. The self-declared goal is the destruction of our free society."
She claimed that the magazine "incites and agitates in unspeakable ways against Jews, against anyone with a migrant background, and against our parliamentary democracy," championing the ban as "another hard blow against right-wing extremism."
"Our constitutional state protects all, regardless of their origin, skin color or even because of their democratic stance," Faeser added. "We do not allow ethnicity to define who belongs to Germany and who does not. I would like to thank the federal security authorities and the participating states for this consistent measure in the fight against right-wing extremism."
As Tagesschau reports, through the early hours of the morning, police in four states conducted searches on properties associated with the publication, including the homes of Elsässer and some employees. No arrests were made, however evidence was collected.
Elsässer called the ban "dictatorial," suggesting it was the worst attack on the press Germany has seen in decades. "You are treating us like a mafia, like a terrorist group," he said, per the Straits Times, "but we are a legal press organ with a clean criminal record. This makes it clear that the only aim is to destroy the opposition and us as the strongest media. We are already in contact with lawyers."
Since its founding in Falkensee near Berlin in 2010, Compact has become quite popular among voters of Alternativ für Deutschland, and AfD members have been frequent contributors. Following the ban, a number of politicians belonging to the party condemned the government's decision."The new left-green dictatorship will not say that it is establishing a dictatorship," Bundestag member Jürgen Braun wrote in a post on X. "It will say: 'We are protecting democracy'. I call it [a new type of democracy] because opposition is forbidden and dissenting opinions are fought back against."
He went on to say that despite his personal disagreements with Elsässer, he supports Compact "against the unconstitutional ban by the left-wing radical minister."
