Far-right AfD party welcomes ruling in favour of Compact, which sets high bar for any government crackdown
A German federal court has overturned a ban on a magazine classed by the government as rightwing extremist, in a high-profile legal battle seen as pitting efforts by the authorities to protect the democratic order against media freedom.
The federal administrative court said that while Compact, a publication with close ties to the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, had produced “anticonstitutional” content, it did “not yet” represent a threat to the state.
“The basic law guarantees even the enemies of the constitution, with faith in the power of free societal debate, freedom of expression and the press,” the presiding judge Ingo Kraft said.
The interior ministry last July outlawed the monthly magazine, as well as the company that publishes it, Compact-Magazin GmbH, and an affiliated media production firm, Conspect Film.
