Thuringia AFD Co-Chief: 'Compact'-ban unconstitutional

Razzia - Thuringia AFD Co-Chief: 'Compact'-ban unconstitutional

Thuringia's AfD Co-Chief Stefan Möller sharply criticized the ban on the far-right magazine "Compact". "I consider the ban to be clearly unconstitutional," Möller told the German Press Agency (dpa) in Erfurt on Tuesday. The case, according to Möller, "shows with which censorship mentality the federal government is trying to choke criticism of certain government positions in the bud." "This particularly affects the AfD, which goes this way as an opposition party and practices government criticism," Möller added. The Thuringian AfD is classified as reliably extremist by the state constitutional protection and is monitored.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had previously banned the "Compact" magazine and the Conspect Film GmbH. Faeser justified this by stating that "Compact" is a "central mouthpiece of the far-right scene." According to her ministry, law enforcement agencies searched premises of the organization and the homes of leading figures, management, and shareholders in Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt since early morning hours.

Political Overlaps

The Verfassungsschutz came to the conclusion in 2022 that the magazine, led by Chief Editor Jürgen Elsässer, propagates "as a multimedia company, antidemocratic and inhumane positions in society."

Regarding the question of how close "Compact" is to the AfD, Möller said, "There were overlaps in terms of political positions, but there were also clear differences, for example in tone. I would say." The "Compact" magazine regularly has a stand of its own at AfD party conferences in Thuringia. While other media had to work in a cordoned-off area at recent party conferences - without free access to the delegates - Elsässer could always move freely in the hall.

The Thuringian AfD party chairman Björn Höcke wrote on X, that Faeser's actions had "ripped the democratic mask off her face." Underneath, he saw a "totalitarian face."

1. The ban on "Compact" magazine is viewed as an attempt by the federal government to stifle criticism, particularly towards oppositional parties like the AfD, as stated by AfD's Co-Chief Stefan Möller in Erfurt.
2. The German Press Agency reported that the ban on "Compact" and Conspect Film GmbH was enforced by the federal government, citing the magazine as a "central mouthpiece of the far-right scene" according to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
3. Raids were conducted in Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt as part of the ban enactment, targeting premises of the organization and residential properties of leading figures, management, and shareholders of "Compact" and Conspect Film GmbH.
4. Jürgen Elsässer, the Chief Editor of "Compact", maintains a close relationship with the AfD party in Thuringia, with the magazine regularly having a stand at party conferences and Elsässer having unrestricted access to delegates during these events.
5. Despite political overlaps, AfD Co-Chief Stefan Möller distinguishes between the two entities, stating that while there are shared political positions, there are also notable differences in tone between the AfD and "Compact" magazine.
6. Björn Höcke, the chairman of the Thuringian AfD party, criticized Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser's actions, asserting that they exposed her "totalitarian face" and had removed her "democratic mask."

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