German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (Social Democrats) ordered police to shut down the leading right-wing monthly magazine “Compact” and sent 200 armed officers to raid the home of publisher Jürgen Elsaesser Monday.
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German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (Social Democrats) ordered police to shut down the leading right-wing monthly magazine “Compact” and sent 200 armed officers to raid the home of publisher Jürgen Elsaesser Monday. Now the crackdown on free speech seems to be backfiring, however, as more and more call for Faeser’s resignation and Elon Musk chimes in.
The Gateway Pundit has reported on Germany’s “Antifa”-aligned homeland security minister Nancy Faeser, who published a comment in “Antifa” magazine 2021, which is run by a group considered “far-left” and “communist aligned” by the Bavarian secret police.
In 2022, Faeser was involved in a plot to oust Germany’s head of Cybersecurity, Arne Schönbohm, presumably for not being sufficiently pro-censorship as a conservative Christian Democrat, together with public broadcaster “comedian” Jan Böhmermann and a shadowy group of anonymous journalists who call themselves “Policy Network Analytics” on Twitter and are loosely tied to Germany’s “Media Matters”, Social Democrat donor backed “Correctiv”.
In December 2022, Faeser ordered a high-profile raid on a group of so-called “Reichsbürger,” who do not recognize the current German Basic Law as a valid constitution and were allegedly plotting a coup, ordering the arrest of 27 suspects, including 71-year-old Prince Henry XIII. of Reuss.
Press and half a dozen TV crews were on the scene, similar to the staged FBI-CNN arrest of Roger Stone. The weapons seized in the alleged coup involved several hunting rifles, a crossbow, and a 13th-century cutlass. The trial began in May after a year and a half in custody.
Beginning in 2024, Faeser’s national head of secret political police, Thomas Haldenwang, briefed government-friendly journalists on a campaign by left-wing NGO “Correctiv” to frame AfD (“Alternative for Germany”) members for alleged plans to “deport millions of foreigners and German citizens”. It turned out “Correctiv,” which is funded by CIA cutouts Open Society and Pierre Omidyar, and the German and EU taxpayer had no evidence of its claims and had to retract in court.
Now Faeser ordered German police to raid and shut down Germany’s leading right-wing monthly “Compact” (with a circulation of 40,000) because it “incites hatred against Jews, foreigners, and our parliamentary Democracy.”
“Compact” publisher Jürgen Elsässer was raided by police at 6 am in his home and office in Falkensee, Brandenburg, and photographed by journalists being arrested in his bathrobe.
A TV crew belonging to public broadcaster ARD’s left-wing news format “Kontraste” was also present. The editor-in-chief of “Kontraste” Georg Heil is the brother of labor secretary Hubertus Heil (Social Democrat). Georg Heil was apparently also informed of the “Reichsbürger” raid 2022. Police leaking personal information to the press is a crime in Germany, attorney Christian Konrad noted.
Police even removed the furniture from Elsässer’s office, as the desks and chairs evidently pose a threat to democracy.
Herrn Elsässer räumt man das Haus aus, wegen des „bösen“ #Compact-Magazins, aber Migranten, die Frauen vergewaltigen, sind am nächsten Tag wieder auf freiem Fuß.
Kann mich bitte mal jemand kneifen. pic.twitter.com/FOFrRbaRMA
— Heimatgefühl (@HeimatliebeDE) July 16, 2024
Now, the politically motivated persecution of right-wing media seems to be backfiring, however. Renowned conservative legal scholar Rupert Scholz and free-speech lawyer Jürgen Steinhöfel both called the shutdown “obviously unconstitutional.”
Constitutional lawyer Prof. Volker Boehme-Nesler said the raid shows ‘”methods of authoritarian states against freedom of the press” by the Antifa minister.
Even left-wing MP Dieter Dehm of the former East German Communist party (“The Left”) compared Faeser to “McCarthy” and warned: “The noose of those who think they know everything is tightening ever more around the neck of diversity and freedom of expression! The Left must show solidarity with Compact and Jürgen Elsässer!”
Elon Musk chimed in, accusing the German government of “crushing freedom of speech under a jackboot”.
Crushing freedom of speech under a jackboot is what that government is doing
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 16, 2024
EU commissars Thierry Breton and Margarete Vestager (Danish Radical Left party) have threatened to apply the EU censorship law (Digital Services Act) against X, potentially fining X up to 6% of worldwide revenue if they do not comply with EU censorship laws. The Digital Services Act is modeled on Germany’s NetzDG law, which attorney Jochen Steinhöfel has called unconstitutional. Many EU observers believe the German government is behind the EU push to censor X.
URGENT!!! Today Nancy Faeser, Germany’s Queen of censorship, BANNED the right-wing magazine COMPACT.
I am a PROUD guest journalist for this platform and contributed an article about PROJECT 2025 just recently.
It is obvious to me that this is happening now just after… pic.twitter.com/2XgLyJYGg1
— Naomi Seibt (@SeibtNaomi) July 16, 2024
Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla stated: “The ban on Compact magazine is a serious blow to press freedom. We are watching these events with great concern. Banning a press organ means denying discourse and diversity of opinion. A ban is always the most far-reaching step. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser is abusing her powers to suppress critical reporting. We call on the minister to respect press freedom.”
Many observers noted that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had wrongly used German association registration law to ban “Compact” magazine, which is not a club or an association or PAC but a limited company.
Media attorney Carsten Brennicke also questioned the legality of leaking the time and place of the raid to the press: “Leaking information about police raids in advance by ministries or other authorities for the purpose of self-promotion is not only illegal but also represents an infringement on the personal rights of those affected. It is not (yet) clear who leaked the information, whether this was done at the highest level in the responsible ministry or by someone else. But the fact is that it was no coincidence that the press was ready and waiting to film that morning. The leaking of such information shows that many of those in charge today are more concerned with self-promotion in the ongoing election campaign than with doing their jobs. Of course, the leaking of such information does not strengthen trust in the rule of law.”
“Compact” Publisher Jürgen Elsässer has announced he will counter-sue and is expected to win: “Today, Mrs. Faeser drove the nail in her political coffin.”
“In that case, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser must resign or be fired”, Attorney Steinhöfel told publisher Roland Tichy.
This brave young journalist works for the magazine that was raided & banned.
His answer to the raid? »Citizen journalism is alive«, and he goes on to quote Trump: Fight, fight, fight! pic.twitter.com/VlN3U1qUv0
— Erik Λhrens (@erikahrens_ffm) July 16, 2024
I am one of the authors of Compact and I am a libertarian. Compact allowed a broad spectrum of opinions. Before the ban of Compact I landed in a Philippine prison for five months because the German authorities lied to the Philippine authorities about me. They said I am a fugitive…
—
Oliver Janich (@OliverJanich) July 17, 2024
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