That's why so many train station bookstores are taking the right

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“Compact” stand at the Leipzig Book Fair 2017

Photo: Jens Schlueter / Getty Images

What happened?

The avalanche rolled slowly at first, then surprisingly quickly: First, it became known on Tuesday through a "Correctiv" investigation that the company Valora, operator of numerous train station bookstores such as Press & Books, no longer wanted to offer the right-wing extremist magazine "Compact" for sale. A day later, competitors Dr. Eckert (Ludwig) and Lagardère Travel Retail (Relay) told SPIEGEL that they no longer wanted the magazine on their shelves either.

The reasons given by Valora and Dr. Eckert: They don't want to offer a platform to press organs "that despise freedom of the press and freedom of expression and aim to overcome it." Accordingly, from now on no more print products will be offered that have been classified as “certain extremist” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

The process is remarkable: The three companies are major players in the German train station and, to some extent, airport book trade. Together they operate 672 branches in stationary newsagents - this means that "Compact" will suddenly no longer be available at many German train stations.

What is »Compact«?

If you look at the companies' justifications, one question in particular comes to mind: Why now? The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the right-wing extremist magazine as definitely extremist more than two years ago. The magazine's statements were also "characterized by a contempt and denigration of the political parties, politicians and representatives of the Federal Republic," it said at the time. Compact-Magazin GmbH acts with “regular insults and excessive slander against the government and parties, which are capable of shaking trust in the entire constitutional order.”

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 November. In the past, “Compact” interviewees included AfD politicians Björn Höcke and Alice Weidel.

What preceded the station booksellers' decision?

The right-wing scene has clearly been under pressure since the “Correctiv” research. Hundreds of thousands of people in Germany are demonstrating in many cities against right-wing extremism and the AfD. It is reasonable to assume that the station bookstores are reacting to the social mood with their decisions - but this is not clear from their statements.

A signature collection that is currently online for the campaign organization Campact could also have played a role. According to information on the website, around 100,000 people had registered for the collection “Stop Compact – no right-wing agitation in the station bookstore” on Wednesday afternoon.

The initiator appears under the pseudonym Linda Imbusch; she does not want her real name published in connection with the campaign. Imbusch told SPIEGEL that she wanted to use the collection to counteract the normalization of right-wing extremist narratives in society. »In “Compact” democratic positions are clearly undermined. And the station bookstore in particular has so much foot traffic. Thousands of travelers come by every day - and with a title like that you suggest: 'Such positions are legitimate.'"

Was there any previous criticism of the sale of “Compact”?

Even though the station booksellers were able to sell “Compact” for many years without any significant resistance, another group was exposed to massive criticism years ago: In 2022, numerous customers criticized the Kaufland group for selling products that bore the Antifa symbol , threw it out of its online shop - but instead had “Compact” in its stationary range.

At that time, Kaufland referred to problems with discontinuing the magazine's purchase from press wholesalers. The company told the critics that it would donate the proceeds from the sale.