Prohibition of compact - Jürgen Elsaßler dragged it from left to far right
In his youth, Jürgen Elsaßer (67), who hails from Baden-Württemberg, was a member of the Communist League. The past from this period is marked by his anti-Americanism. Apart from that, the editor-in-chief of the now-banned "Compact" magazine has covered a long ideological distance - from far-left to far-right.
As an author for left-wing publications and an anti-nuclear activist, Elsaßer began to shift towards the right-wing camp at the turn of the millennium. Our newspaper distanced itself from him after a relatively short time, as he began his journey into the fascist realm, the "nd" left-wing newspaper wrote last year, which was formerly known as "Neues Deutschland".
Well-connected in the right-wing scene
What Elsaßer himself says about his political career is hard to follow for many outsiders. In 2010, he started a monthly magazine called "Compact". He can often be seen at AfD party events and other gatherings with a grim expression. His talent for striking the right tone with his audience, however, has earned him a certain following.
An example of the contacts Elsaßer has cultivated in recent years was an event in Leipzig in November 2017, where Pegida chief Lutz Bachmann, Thuringian AfD right-wing figure Björn Höcke, and the chief of the Identitarians in Austria, Martin Sellner, spoke. Elsaßer set the pace there. He said: "We want to establish a new front in the resistance struggle for Germany, and that is the front in the factories (...) We link patriotism and commitment to the workers and the weak in this country: National and social liberation of the German people!"
Today, Elsaßer also maintains contacts with former AfD politicians who have fallen out of favor with the party. One of them is André Poggenburg, the former AfD state chairman in Sachsen-Anhalt.
- Despite his controversial shift towards the far-right, Jürgen Elsässer, originally from Baden-Württemberg, continues to have a significant influence in Germany's media landscape, often attending events in Berlin with the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
- In a move that raised eyebrows, Elsässer, the former editor-in-chief of the now-banned "Compact" magazine, was a prominent figure at an event in Leipzig in 2017, sharing the stage with extreme right-wing figures such as Pegida's Lutz Bachmann and the Identitarians' Martin Sellner.
- Despite being ostracized by some for his extremist views, Elsässer has managed to maintain ties with notable figures in German politics, includingformer AfD politician Andre Poggenburg from Sachsen-Anhalt.
- Born in Baden-Württemberg and known for his anti-American sentiments in his youth, Elsässer, the author and publisher of the "Compact" magazine, has navigated a complex ideological journey, leading him to become a prominent figure in Germany's far-right media scene.
