Germany bans right-wing Compact magazine for hate speech News
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Germany bans right-wing Compact magazine for hate speech

The German Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser announced Tuesday the ban of far right-wing online magazine Compact for their actions inciting hatred against Jewish people and ethnic minorities.

Faeser justified the prohibition by explaining the aim to oppose the people who “are inciting hatred, encouraging the use of violence against refugees and migrants and seeking to overthrow our democratic state.”

The ban raised three main problems with Compact. Firstly, it stated that the contents of its publications and products agitate racist and anti-minority conspiracy theories, which, according to the press release, encourage readers to adopt their nationalist ideas and exclude people who have other cultural and ethical backgrounds from Germany. As to the second issue, the ban stressed that the legacy of the magazine tries to spread the prejudiced idea that people in certain ethnic groups are violent. Finally, it claims that Compact campaigns to promote antisemitism. Therefore, the company’s businesses contradict the constitutional order of Germany based on the rule of law and the principle of non-discrimination.

Under the German Basic Law and Act Governing Private Associations, organizations’ activities can be regulated by the prohibition of associations when they are deemed to be against free democratic order.

Compact is regarded as a platform affiliated with Alternative for Germany (AfD), a right-wing political party in Germany. Some AfD politicians criticized the ban after its publication for seriously infringing the freedom of the press and limiting the diversity of ideas.

For a long time, searches and the monitoring of Compact have been executed by both federal and state offices. As a result, the company was categorized in 2021 as a right-wing extremist group. The ban on Tuesday was based on the result of these investigations.

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