The Federal Minister of the Interior and Community in Germany has banned the online magazine Compact for allegedly “inciting hatred against Jews and migrants.” On Tuesday, Nancy Faeser accused the publication of being “a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene.”
Compact Magazine was founded in 2010 by journalist and former leftist activist Jürgen Elsässer. Although the publication covers various topics, all of which from a right-wing slant, it has been staunchly critical of Germany’s migration policies and Angela Merkel.
In addition to being classified as “extremist, nationalist and anti-minority” in 2021 by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Compact was also banned from Facebook and Instagram in 2020 for “hate speech” that allegedly breached Meta’s community standards.
The publication has also been accused of spreading conspiracy theories and promoting anti-vaccine propaganda.
According to Reuters, Germany’s top security official banned the magazine and any subsidiaries, including its production company Conspect Film. Police were also ordered to raid properties connected to the company in Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt to seize evidence and assets.
“It is a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene. This magazine incites hatred against Jews, people with a history of migration and our parliamentary democracy in an unspeakable manner,” claimed Faeser.
“Our signal is clear: We will not allow who belongs in Germany and who doesn’t to be defined by ethnicity,” she continued, accusing the publication of undermining democracy and for showing support to the nation’s populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Speaking with Reuters, Elsässer, Compact’s Editor in Chief, called the ban “dictatorial” and “the worst attack on German press freedom in decades.”
“You are treating us like a mafia, like a terrorist group. But we are a legal press organ with a clean criminal record. This makes it clear that the only aim is to destroy the opposition and us as the strongest media. We are already in contact with lawyers.”
News of Compact’s ban sparked mixed reactions on X. Some, such as Compact journalist Oliver Janich, said the publication’s only crime is criticizing the far-left government.
Others, such as one X user by the handle @Dani__Yel, shared Faeser’s sentiments and accused Compact of being an “explicit antisemitic publication which spreads conspiracy myths and Israel-related antisemitism.”
Although Elsässer has the right to appeal the ban, Mika Beuster, the head of the German Journalists Association, expressed his belief that the ban will be upheld by the Federal Administrative Court.
“In my opinion, what Compact is doing has nothing to do with journalism, it is conspiracy-ideological, it is … definitely right-wing extremist,” he said.
Compact’s website has been down since the ban was announced earlier today but its X account is still accessible.
