exclusive
The AfD is checking contrasts-Researching legal action against the right-wing extremist “Compact” magazine. The reason is an election campaign in favor of the party. The Bundestag administration is checking whether this is a party donation.
The “Compact” magazine wants to support the AfD in the upcoming state election campaigns and in the European election campaign. “We want to help where the AfD’s forces are not sufficient,” says a “Compact” article. “Compact” is classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a confirmed extremist effort. According to founder and editor-in-chief Jürgen Elsässer, one goal of the medium is the “overthrow of the regime”.
Appearances by AfD politicians announced
As part of the campaign entitled “The blue wave is rolling”, ten events are planned so far, the first of which is to take place on March 30th under the title “Peace with Russia” in Velten.
Leading AfD politicians are also expected to appear at the rallies, which are described as “people’s festivals,” including Brandenburg state chairwoman Birgit Bessin. “At the invitation of Dr. Christina Baum, member of the Bundestag, our folk festival is taking place in the north of Baden-Württemberg,” says the announcement of another event.
To finance the campaign, editor-in-chief Jürgen Elsässer asks for donations on “Compact-TV” on YouTube: “If you want to give us a hand so that we can help the AfD and make this blue miracle possible in 2024, then Don’t hesitate to help us.”
According to “Compact”, around 64,000 euros in donations have already been collected so far. However, 91,000 euros would be needed – among other things for the newly purchased stage and event technology.
Does AfD use “compact” technology?
According to “Compact”, the stage equipment will also be used by the AfD in Bavaria and Brandenburg for its own election campaign events. The ARD political magazine Contrasts asked the two AfD state associations whether this was true.
From Bavaria the answer is: “No.” The AfD-Brandenburg, on the other hand, stated: “The AfD-Brandenburg does not comment on possible business relationships with service providers, and we refer to the annual report of the next state executive regarding possible payments.”
The AfD’s federal executive board responded to one Contrasts-Inquiry that “a warning with a cease and desist declaration against Compact Verlag” has been being examined since last week. The AfD further stated that its goal was “to ensure that these events cannot be attributed to the AfD.”
Bundestag is examining the matter
The Bundestag member Martina Renner (Die Linke) had pointed out the “Compact” campaign in favor of the AfD in a letter to the Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) and asked for it to be examined. Renner sees indications of possibly inadmissible party financing.
“If you give a party money, but also monetary services, here a stage, program, technology, advertising, then the money is what benefits the party. And if this is done covertly, so to speak, that is formally a ‘Compact event ‘, then this may also be disguised party financing.”
The Bundestag administration shared Contrasts She said that she is currently examining the matter and will therefore not comment further on it for the time being.
AfD: No party donations
“Since the federal executive board will under no circumstances accept such a donation solely for party financing reasons, this campaign cannot be viewed as a party donation,” the AfD said Contrasts. “Compact” left a request from the ARD-Political magazine about the process went unanswered.
Contrasts The expert on party law from the Institute for German and International Party Law and Party Research at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Dr. Heike Merten for an assessment of the process. Merten refers to a new regulation in the party law, which has only been in force since March 4th and is intended to eliminate previous uncertainty in the accountability of parties.
“A takeover of advertising measures by third parties (including through ‘Compact’) is therefore to be understood as a donation if the AfD does not immediately after becoming aware of an advertising measure through a prescribed advertisement by ‘Compact’ or in another way “We demand a cease and desist,” explains Merten.
What is also crucial for the legal assessment is how long the AfD has known about the “Compact” campaign. In response to a corresponding question about contrasts, Federal Treasurer Carsten Hütter said: “The federal association of our party has had more detailed knowledge of this series of events by COMPACT-Magazin GmbH for two weeks.”
What is meant by “more detailed knowledge” and since when the AfD has been aware of the campaign planning, which has been publicly known since December last year, remains unclear. According to the AfD, an examination for warnings from “Compact” has been taking place since last week, and the Federal Executive Board would like to discuss this on March 18th.
“Compact” advertising for “Höcke-Taler”
A silver medal has also recently been sold in the “Compact” publishing house’s online shop: the “Höcke-Taler”. According to the description: “a patriotic confession”. Cost 69.95 euros. The silver medal with the likeness of Björn Höcke is advertised as a “stable investment” – even though it is around three times more expensive than comparable silver coins.
Do the AfD or Höcke earn money from the silver thaler? The AfD state association in Thuringia said that neither he nor Mr. Höcke received any donations from the sale of the product. The AfD federal executive board said: “This action has nothing to do with the AfD and only affects the private individual Björn Höcke – this will be clarified with him as soon as possible.”
Müllermilch products on “Compact TV” – without the company’s knowledge
In a YouTube video about the “Blue Wave”, “Compact” boss Elsässer also places “Müllermilch” products from the Theo Müller group of companies. “We have lined up his best things to commemorate and honor this brave man,” as Elsässer explains.
The background to his statements is apparently the friendship between billionaire Theo Müller and the AfD party leader Alice Weidel, which became public through media reports, and his attitude towards the party. Müller is a major donor to the CDU in Saxony. In a recent interview he brought up a CDU-AfD coalition for Saxony.
“If the CDU then becomes the second strongest force, it could offer the AfD to participate in a coalition – provided that the CDU provides the prime minister,” Müller told the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”.
On Contrasts-When asked how the company and Mr. Müller feel about the fact that a right-wing extremist medium is advertising “Müllermilch” products, the company said that they were “neither aware of the video you mentioned, nor ‘Compact TV’ or the campaign you mentioned known. Accordingly, the further questions are unnecessary. We assume that the Contrastscontribution will not give any other impression.”
The Contrasts-The question of whether the company would distance itself from “Compact TV” remained explicitly unanswered.
You can see more about this in the ARD political magazine Contrasts at 9:45 p.m. and afterwards in the ARD media library