German Federal Court Strikes a Win for Freedom of Expression, and Overturns Ban of Right-Wing Magazine Compact

Slowly but surely, Germany is starting to roll back some unlawful government decisions targeting conservatives and right-wingers in the country.

Back in May, the ‘right-wing extremist’ label attached to AfD party was removed by the Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) pending an appeal.

And now, the Federal Administrative Court ruled that the right-wing ‘Compact’ magazine may continue to be published, finding that its content is covered by freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

This overturns the ban by former Liberal-Globalist Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

Welt reported (translated from German):

“The right-wing extremist magazine ‘Compact’ can continue to be published. The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig has lifted the ban issued by the then Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) in the summer of 2024.

The federal judges thus confirmed their decision from the summary proceedings last August. At that time, they had temporarily suspended the ban, so that the paper could continue to be published for the time being. Now the competent 6th Senate has made its final decision in the main proceedings. The Leipzig judges are responsible in the first and last instance for lawsuits against bans on associations.

[…] According to court information, the circulation of the ‘Compact’ magazine is 40,000 copies, the online TV channel reaches up to 460,000 [views].”

The court ruled that the media company’s content is covered by freedom of the press and freedom of expression, rather than being anti-constitutional and posing a concrete threat.

Petr Bystron, parliamentarian for the AfD and organizer of the ‘Conference of Free Media in the Bundestag’, issued a statement following today’s ruling by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig on the ban of the Compact magazine:

“The joy over this ruling shows how deeply legal distortions in the suppression of the opposition have become normalized in recent years. After all, it should be a matter of course that media outlets are not banned in Germany. Freedom of speech and of the press are constitutionally protected rights.

The police raids on the Compact editorial offices and the attempt by then-Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to ban the outlet marked a disgraceful low point in the abuse of state institutions to suppress the opposition in Germany.

Now it is time to investigate this abuse of power and the injustice done to its victims. Faeser and her accomplices must be held accountable for abuse of office and for delegitimizing the state.”

Incredible free speech victory in Germany.

The Federal Administrative Court has lifted the ban on “Compact” magazine by the Federal Interior Ministry.

“The Basic Law guarantees freedom of expression and association even to its enemies,” said presiding judge Ingo Kraft.… pic.twitter.com/TrtE3qYYwa

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 24, 2025

“Incredible free speech victory in Germany. The Federal Administrative Court has lifted the ban on “Compact” magazine by the Federal Interior Ministry.

‘The Basic Law guarantees freedom of expression and association even to its enemies’, said presiding judge Ingo Kraft. ‘Many of the anti-immigration or anti-immigration statements cited by the defendant as evidence for the ban can therefore also be interpreted as exaggerated criticism of migration policy, but ultimately permissible in light of fundamental rights of communication’, the court further stated.

In addition, ‘the legal policy demand for stricter naturalization requirements and higher integration standards in citizenship law cannot, in itself, be criticized as incompatible with human dignity or the principle of democracy’.

The ban on Compact first came about in 2024 when former Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser ordered house raids against Compact magazine, including the home of the publisher, Jürgen Elsässer, along with various employees of the outlet. She had the entire publication banned, scrubbed from the internet, and its property seized.

This is a serious black eye for the German security services that sought to erase a press outlet from existence, even one they found objectionable. Their heavy-handed tactics involving morning raids of homes involving officers in SWAT gear will likely be scrutinized in light of the court’s overturning of their ban and property seizure efforts.”

Read more:

FIGHT BACK: AfD Sues German Spy Agency that Classified It as a ‘Right-Wing Extremist’ Party

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