Elsässer demands compensation for damage caused by prohibition order

The publisher of the far-right magazine "Compact", Jürgen Elsässer, is demanding that politicians compensate him for the damage caused by the ban imposed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI). "The lower limit of the economic damage is around 320,000 euros. That is the turnover we were unable to realize in four weeks because we were no longer able to work and were shut down," said Elsässer in Potsdam. "That will certainly go up, and we will make the government and the BMI liable for every cent."

The Federal Administrative Court temporarily lifted the ban on the far-right "Compact" magazine imposed by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD). Its publisher Elsässer commented on the decision alongside the AfD parliamentary group in the Brandenburg state parliament on Thursday afternoon.

AfD politician Berndt: Want to get our money back

Head of the parliamentary group Christoph Berndt said in Potsdam: "We will use every opportunity we have to get back the money we have lost." According to the AfD, the ban also led to damage for the party because there had been contracts with "Compact" for stages for the election campaign. Berndt put the damage at a five-figure sum.

"Compact" publisher Elsässer hopes that he will quickly get back the confiscated items such as computers, telephones and technology for a TV studio. "As far as the resumption of work is concerned, we're still on empty at the moment." One of Compact's lawyers, Laurens Nothdurft, said initial appeals had been lodged to lift seizures and make the return of equipment and products possible.

Elsässer spoke of a "chase" that had begun in Brandenburg. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Potsdam was the first authority to declare "Compact" to be right-wing extremist. AfD campaign leader Berndt said that Brandenburg's head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution should be removed from office.