1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
PoliticsGermany

Germany bans right-wing extremist Compact magazine

July 16, 2024

The Interior Ministry said the magazine worked against constitutional order. Authorities searched properties related to the popular magazine in four states.

https://p.dw.com/p/4iLkb
Police officers stand in front of a detached house on the street as authorities search the premises of Compact magazine
German police raided properties linked to Compact magazine in 4 states since the early hours of MondayImage: Thomas Schulz/dpa/picture alliance

Germany's Interior Ministry banned the right-wing extremist Compact magazine, it said on Tuesday.

Authorities searched properties related to the magazine in four German states: Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The aim of the raid was to confiscate assets and evidence, the ministry said. 

The ban also applies to Compact's subsidiary Conspect Film, and prohibits any continuation of previous activities.

Why was Compact magazine banned?

"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," said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

The ban shows "that we are also taking action against the intellectual arsonists who are stirring up a climate of hatred and violence against refugees and migrants and want to overcome our democratic state," Faeser added.  

"Our message is very clear: we will not allow ethnicity to define who belongs to Germany and who does not."

Compact magazine was classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as extremist, nationalist and anti-minority in 2021. 

The Alternative for Germany party holds a demo featuring Compact magazine's Jürgen Elsässer and others to protest what they perceive as anti-Putin politics in Germany.
The magazine's leading figures maintain contacts with important actors of the so-called New RightImage: Sachelle Babbar/ZUMA Wire/IMAGO

What is Compact magazine?

The magazine's holding company is run by Jürgen Elsässer. It has a circulation of 40,000 copies and an online video channel, Compact TV.

The company also operates an online store for merchandise, such as a coin with the image of Björn Höcke, the far-right politician from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party who was recently convicted and fined for using a Nazi slogan.

The AfD has described the ban as a "serious blow to press freedom." 

"We are observing these events with great concern," said party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. "Banning a press organ means a denial of discourse and diversity of opinion." 

In 2020, Meta's Facebook and Instagram social media platforms removed Compact magazine's accounts over hate speech

Germany's far-right AfD riding high despite setbacks

fb/rmt (AFP, dpa, Reuters, EPD)

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.