More station booksellers are taking the right-wing extremist “Compact” magazine off their shelves

Enlarge image

“Compact” magazine on sale (in an Edeka in Hamburg-Bergedorf): “Do not offer a platform”

Photo: Andre Lenthe / IMAGO

The group of companies Dr. Eckert and its competitor Lagardère Travel Retail no longer want to have the right-wing extremist “Compact” magazine in their displays. The retail chains announced this in response to a request from SPIEGEL. Lagardère Travel Retail also stated that this ban applies to the right-wing “Junge Freiheit”.

Dr. Eckert is one of the big players in the German train station book trade. According to the company's own information, the branch network includes more than 400 locations. According to its own information, Lagardère Travel Retail is represented with more than 115 stores at more than 30 German train stations. It was already announced on Tuesday that competitor Valora was removing “Compact” from its stores.

In a statement from the Dr. Eckert said that print products that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified as “certainly extremist” would no longer be sold. The magazines “Compact”, “Compact Edition”, “Compact History” and “Compact Edition” would be removed from the range.

The justification is practically the same as Valora's: "For the Dr. For Eckert, freedom of the press and diversity of opinion are top priorities. However, we do not want to offer a platform to those who despise Germany's free-democratic basic order - and thus also the freedom of the press and freedom of expression enshrined in the Basic Law - and aim to overcome it," the letter says. After “intensive consideration,” the conclusion was reached that publications from publishers that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution had classified as “definitely extremist” should no longer be stocked. “From now on” the magazines mentioned will be removed.

Lagardère removes further titles from the displays

Lagardère Travel Retail wrote to SPIEGEL that the company positions itself “against exclusion, hatred and violence.” Even if some titles contradict the views of company management and employees, the core of press distribution is legally freedom of information and prohibits newspapers or magazines from being offered to the public. »Nevertheless, we already decided on February 2, 2024 and instructed our branch teams to remove the magazines “Compact” and “Ritterkreuzträger Profile”, “Junge Freiheit”, “Estranglich Freitag”, “First!” and “German Military Magazine” from our displays “To take branches.”

It was initially unclear whether the items would disappear completely from the range or just from the shelves - but may still be available under the counter. The company left a request from SPIEGEL to clarify this unanswered by Wednesday afternoon.

Martin Sellner is one of the authors of the “Compact” magazine under editor-in-chief Jürgen Elsässer. According to “Correctiv” research, the Austrian presented plans for large-scale “remigration,” i.e. the deportation or displacement of millions of immigrants, at a meeting of right-wing extremists, right-wing conservatives and AfD officials in a villa in Potsdam in November. In the past, “Compact” interviewees included AfD politicians Björn Höcke and Alice Weidel. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the magazine as definitely extremist more than two years ago.

Sol