Court ruling: Compact to be published again soon - Faeser criticised
Faeser had banned "Compact" in July. The Compact-Magazin GmbH, led by Elsaesser, filed a lawsuit and an urgent application with the Federal Administrative Court against this. On Wednesday, the court partially granted the urgent application, allowing the magazine to continue publishing provisionally until a decision is made on the lawsuit. Seized evidence may continue to be evaluated.
Elsaesser has now announced that the issues of the August edition will be delivered "shortly". Due to the increased attention from the ban and the court proceedings, the publisher may have to "reprint". The production of a new issue is currently "completely impossible" due to the seizures. The editorial team has "no desks, no chairs, no computers" left.
At the same time, Elsaesser is convinced that the circulation of the magazine will "multiply". While perhaps two million Germans knew the magazine before the ban and the court proceedings, now it could be "60 million". "Accordingly, our publishing power also increases."
The decision in the main proceedings is still pending. The lawyer for the magazine makers, Laurens Nothdurft, considers the chances of success for "Compact" to be "extraordinarily high". He expects a "long-lasting main proceedings". Elsaesser said he had always been "sure" that they would win this procedure. However, he was skeptical that the urgent application would be successful and that a decision would be made so quickly.
Faeser made it clear on Thursday: "We will continue to represent our legal opinion in the main proceedings in the same clear and comprehensive manner." It is "a completely normal process" for those affected to defend themselves against a ban legally. In a constitutional state, there are judicial "review possibilities", Faeser continued. "And that's a good thing. That's what we live in a democracy for."
At the same time, Faeser announced that despite the provisional defeat in court, they would continue to combat extremist tendencies. "We will also continue to decisively oppose constitutional enemies," said Faeser.
However, Faeser is coming under pressure due to the court decision, also from within the coalition. The decision is "embarrassing for the Federal Ministry of the Interior" because the "Compact" network can now present itself as a victim, said FDP faction vice Konstantin Kuhle to "Spiegel". "That should not have happened to the Federal Ministry of the Interior."
FDP vice and Bundestag vice president Wolfgang Kubicki said to "Spiegel" that Faeser had acted prematurely in the ban decision. "The decision is a bad blow for a constitutional minister, and the worst thing is: She has positioned herself as the best campaigner for the AfD in the best possible way before the three eastern state elections."
Even the CDU politician Thorsten Frei criticized Faeser for serious shortcomings. "The minister should have heeded the old maxim that thoroughness goes before speed," said Frei. "So, a disservice was done to the fight against right-wing extremism."
On the other hand, Faeser received support from her own party. SPD faction vice Dirk Wiese said to the "Rheinische Post": "The currently massive criticism could prove to be premature." Wiese further emphasized that it is right for the ministry to use the instruments of a robust democracy against right-wing extremist organizations "that propagate a coup and aggressively act against human dignity and elementary constitutional principles".
Elsaesser mentioned that they might need to "reprint" the August edition of the magazine due to increased demand, as the "seized evidence may continue to be evaluated." Despite the lack of basic resources, such as desks, chairs, and computers, Elsaesser remains optimistic about the magazine's future, believing that its circulation could "multiply" to reach "60 million" Germans.
