Written by Patrick Popel, associate of the Center for geostrategic studies in Austria
The magazine "Compact", which the office for the protection of the Constitution (German domestic intelligence) has labeled right-wing extremist, is no longer allowed to come out. German interior minister Nancy Faeser has banned the media company as well as Conspect Film GmbH. According to the ministry, the police are 16. July carried out a search of the premises of the organization, as well as the homes of leading actors, management and owners.
Faeser justified the ban by saying that Compact is "the central messenger of the right-wing extremist scene": "this magazine incites unspeakable incitement against Jews, against people of migration origin and against our parliamentary democracy." The ban shows that we are also taking action against intellectual arsonists who are fueling a climate of hatred and violence against refugees and migrants and want to surpass our democratic state."
PHOTO: German police at the door of Jürgen Elzesser
"According to the German Ministry of the interior, the main products of the multimedia-oriented concept Film GmbH are the monthly magazine "Compact" with a circulation of 40,000 copies and the online video channel "Compact-TV". The company is also present on numerous social networks. and he runs an internet store.
The editor-in-chief of Compact magazine, Jürgen Elsässer, spoke about the egregious violation of press freedom and told reporters:" what we have today in the Federal Republic of Germany is an undemocratic regime, like the SED (East Germany) regime." AfD co-chair Tina Krupala and Alice Weidel wrote in a joint statement: "We are watching these events with great concern. The ban was a " serious blow to press freedom."
Faeser, among others, received support from the Greens. After the ban, YouTube blocked corresponding content on its video platform. The US company said on Friday at the request of a German news agency that two YouTube channels linked to Compact magazine GmbH had been removed.
If in the evening you searched for "Compact-TV" content on the video platform, it was written that the channel, which has hundreds of thousands of subscribers, is not available. The editor-in-chief would like to legally respond to this action, but the media is now de facto unable to continue its work. In this first statement, Jürgen Elsesser acts combatively. He says, " the rulers think that if they impose prohibitions they can save their regime! It will be the opposite.“
The ban and the showdown surprised unprepared journalists. There was no trial, no hearing, no previous interviews with witnesses. Nancy Faeser did it herself and banned the first media that criticized the government in Germany. What does this mean for other alternative media in Germany?
The ban is the biggest blow to press freedom in Germany since the end of World War II. Alternative media in Germany and Austria have always been under intense pressure, but now for the first time a case is being reported that may be an example of the State destruction of a media.
By seizing all materials and techniques and closing accounts, the media is de facto dead. A lot of people have to worry about their future. Even if it is clear that this blow to the system is the result of despair as the state media is becoming less consumed, this situation still poses a great danger. This could become a new strategy to censor the media more in the future. This blow against Compact magazine must be seen as the tip of the iceberg.
Action is currently being taken against the opposition media at various levels. Discrediting and labeling it as a right-wing radical, insinuating the spread of fake news, and then finally there is a ban.
The German interior minister opened 16. July 2024. a new dark chapter in German history. From now on, it must be clear to everyone that the state is ready to take action against anyone who does not share the line of power.
The real reason why this magazine was banned is because of its reporting on the conflict in Ukraine and Russian politics. Compact has always tried to report very objectively on events in Ukraine. This voice is no longer heard in Germany because it does not fit the legend that the systemic media is spreading. Press freedom in Germany is now in grave danger and some journalists who did not sympathize with the Compact are already aware of this.
Photo: Kompakt Magazine and Elzeser's book chronicling the manipulation of Kosovo
It is very likely that measures will now be taken against other media and individual journalists. Europe is in a media war-that's why such dirty means are used. "Compact" will defend itself with legal means and try to get justice, but more importantly, this action by German politicians will continue to be debated in society.
If such actions continue, then the path to an authoritarian regime will be opened. Unfortunately, it can also be assumed that new media laws can be passed at the level of nation states and the EU that legalize such action.
Compact will not be the last victim of this policy and journalists in the Free West will now be very careful and will think hard when they publish their articles.
Translation from English: Center for geostrategic studies
Source: Germany bans largest opposition media, posing a threat to press freedom infobrics.org)
22. July 2024.