CDU and FDP take on Faeser after Compact ruling
The ban on the magazine "Compact" has been temporarily halted through an expedited procedure. It can reappear. A setback for Interior Minister Faeser. Criticism and ridicule come from the Union. But even a coalition party doesn't hold back harsh words.
After the temporary failure of the "Compact" ban, criticism comes from the FDP and the Union towards Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. "The interim decision against the 'Compact' ban casts a disastrous light on the competence of Mrs. Faeser," said Alexander Hoffmann, parliamentary business manager of the CSU in the Bundestag, in Berlin.
Faeser had banned "Compact" on July 16th. She justified this action by stating that the magazine was a "central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene." Now, the Federal Administrative Court has provisionally lifted the ban in an expedited procedure, mainly expressing doubts about the proportionality of the ban. Since Faeser's ban would have led to an immediate cessation of the entire print and online offerings of "Compact," the freedom of the press carries particular weight, the federal judges explained. Until a final decision on the lawsuit is made, the media company can continue its operations. This means that the magazine can reappear under certain conditions. A final decision will be made in the main proceedings.
CSU politician Hoffmann stated: "This interim victory for a right-wing extremist magazine shows that Mrs. Faeser has done a disservice to the protection of democracy with her hasty action." She must now explain how such a misjudgment could have occurred. The parliamentary business manager of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei, told "Spiegel": "The minister should have followed the old maxim that thoroughness comes before speed."
FDP speaks of a "slap in the face" for Faeser
FDP faction vice Konstantin Kuhle described the court's decision as "embarrassing for the Federal Ministry of the Interior." The "Compact" magazine can now present itself as a victim, said Kuhle to "Spiegel". "Even if the decision in the main proceedings is still pending, the justification for the ban apparently did not suffice for the judges," said the interior politician further. "That should not have happened to the Federal Ministry of the Interior."
FDP party vice Wolfgang Kubicki spoke of a "slap in the face" for Faeser. "And the worst thing is: She has presented herself as the best campaigner against the AfD before the three eastern state elections," said Kubicki. Elections to the state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg will take place in September.
The FDP and the Union have criticized Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser for temporarily halting the ban on "Compact" magazine, with FDP politician Konstantin Kuhle calling it an "embarrassment" for her ministry. The CSU's Alexander Hoffmann accused Faeser of doing a disservice to the protection of democracy with her hasty action, while his Union counterpart Thorsten Frei suggested she should have prioritized thoroughness over speed.
