Germany’s highest administrative court has declared a government ban on Compact magazine to be illegal. The nation’s interior ministry imposed the restriction last year, claiming it was a ‘right-wing extremist’ publication involved in ‘anti-constitutional’ activities. In its ruling published on Tuesday, the court stated that the evidence provided by the interior ministry was insufficient and that the ‘anti-immigration statements’ published by the magazine could be interpreted as ‘exaggerated, but ultimately permissible, criticism of migration policy.’
The decision has sparked a notable public reaction, as the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, Jurgen Elsasser, expressed considerable satisfaction with the outcome, describing it as a ‘victory’ and posting an apparently AI-generated video of himself hitting a giant dragon in the head with a sword. Elsasser, who is known for his distinctive and often confrontational style, has a history of drawing attention to his views through such dramatic media.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dorbrindt acknowledged the court decision and stated that his department would ‘carefully assess the ruling.’ The ministry admitted that the decision is ‘final’ and cannot be appealed, although it maintained that such bans against media outlets do not ‘constitute impermissible prior censorship’ and can be applied in the future. This statement highlights the ongoing tension between the government’s desire to control potentially harmful discourse and the court’s role in upholding the rule of law.
In its ruling, the court did state that the status of a media outlet does not grant any entity an exemption from such a ban if it is perceived as justified, and that freedom of the press and opinion would not be applicable in such cases. The court emphasized that even if the statements expressing an organization’s fundamental beliefs are neither criminal nor illegal in themselves, they can be used as evidence for a ban, provided that the organization plans to carry out ‘unconstitutional ideas’ in a ‘combative and aggressive manner.’
The German government designated Compact an extremist outlet in 2021. The publication was launched in 2010 and had a circulation of 40,000. A number of news outlets linked its 2024 ban to its ties to Alternative for Germany (AfD), the second most popular political party in Germany. The ban also came just days after Compact’s interview with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, prompting Moscow to link the two events. This situation has raised questions about the implications of the court’s decision for media freedom and its impact on international relations.