In a major win for press freedom, Germany’s Federal Administrative Court has lifted the Interior Ministry’s ban on Compact Magazine, which is published by Jürgen Elsässer. The magazine can now resume publication after dramatic police raids led to the entire publication being shut down last year.
Presiding Judge Ingo Kraft stated, “The Basic Law guarantees freedom of expression and association even to its supposed enemies.”
In a move that may have broad and far-reaching consequences, the court ruled that the magazine’s position against immigration is compatible with free speech and freedom of the press rights enshrined in the constitution.
“Many of the anti-immigration or anti-immigration statements cited by the defendant as evidence for the ban can therefore also be interpreted as exaggerated criticism of migration policy, but ultimately permissible in light of fundamental rights of communication,” the court further stated.
Kraft stated that the publication’s “exaggerated criticism of migration policy” is permissible as a fundamental right.
Furthermore, Compact’s demands for stricter naturalization requirements and higher integration standards in citizenship law are not inherently incompatible with human dignity or democratic principles.
The court noted that Compact’s “polemically pointed criticism of power,” conspiracy theories, and historical revisionist views are protected under Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law.
The ban on Compact first came about in 2024 when former Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser ordered house raids against Compact magazine, including the home of the publisher, Jürgen Elsässer, along with various employees of the outlet. She had the entire publication banned, scrubbed from the internet, and its property seized.
Footage of the dramatic house raids went viral on social media.
🇩🇪BREAKING NEWS:
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 16, 2024
Massive crackdown on the press in Germany
In what may be the most aggressive move against press freedom since the Second World War, Germany has banned Compact Magazine and raided the office of the publisher, Jürgen Elsässer.
The press was informed ahead of… pic.twitter.com/yLed1UkL7T
