CH Beck Verlag, which publishes the most important commentary on the Basic Law, will no longer work with Hans-Georg Maaßen. As the legal publisher announced, Maaßen’s comment in “Epping/Hillgruber” was “technically not objectionable”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/.” However, with regard to the person and the public statements by Dr. Maassen a heated discussion with progressive polarization, in which the irreconcilable positions have become independent.”
The former President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Maassen, appears today as an angry early retiree, he is known for extreme political statements, surrounds himself with conspiracy ideologists and shares calls for a Covid vaccination ban. And at HC Beck, in the meantime, he was able to explain to judges in his commentary what the highest courts have decided on constitutional law. He was, of all things, responsible for Articles 16 and 16a of the Basic Law – that is the basic right to asylum.
The publisher formulates its current dilemma as follows: “An important criterion is whether these opinions and the people who represent them stand on the ground of our free democratic basic order. This neutrality also requires that the publisher does not get involved in the disputes of the get caught up in daily politics.”
Hans-Georg Maassen apparently broke up before they broke up with him. CH Beck says: “We have therefore decided to use our options to terminate the publishing contract with Dr. Maassen. As a result, Dr. Maassen himself terminated it on January 17, 2023.”