Conversation with Constantin von Hoffmeister
Do Germany become like Poland? any time ago, we noticed that our services and justice were modeling in Ukraine. I mean repression, deficiency of freedom of speech. And now it seems that Germany is becoming more and more akin to Poland in this respect.
– Well, if you put it that way, I must say that Germany has been like Poland for decades. due to the fact that there has been no freedom of speech in Germany for at least half a century. I even think that there was never freedom of speech in Germany.
Yes, but the German authorities have always pretended that there is specified a thing as the regulation of law. It was a model country for the regulation of law. Germany has previously been presented in this way to us in Central Europe.
– Well, the Germans pretend to have freedom of speech, but in fact they do not. And I think everyone is actually aware of this fact, at least in our circles. We have the Basic Act, Grundgesetz, which is kind of a substitute for the Constitution due to the fact that it is not a real constitution. It's a founding paper of the national Republic of Germany. This Basic Act states that everyone has the right to express their opinion freely. It is besides written that there is no censorship, but that is absolutely not true. Therefore, I am not certain why many people from the right, conservatives, people who value freedom of speech now mention to Grundgesetz. In my opinion, it has no real value. It guarantees something that doesn't truly exist. So it's fundamentally a paper that states 1 thing, while reality is something completely different. In fact, it's beautiful orwellish, which reminds me of the fresh Year's 1984 Orwell. In principle, “we have always been at war with Eurazia” and next week, “Eurasia is our best friend, for we have always been at war with Oceania.”
Well, we have the latest example of the "Compact" magazine and the ban on its publication. For me, it was very shocking that your government utilized tools that were very far from pretending that they were part of the regulation of law or any standard. Actually, it reminded me of the Polish approach. As far as I know, the monthly magazine was just shut down, and actually the companies that released it were closed, right?
- It's true. Well, I think the police came, searched the editor-in-chief's house, as well as the most crucial employees' apartments, and actually took everything – documents, computers, even furniture, due to the fact that they said it was company property. Even desks and chairs. I saw pictures on the net where police officers in uniform carried chairs and tables and put it all on...
There was even a meme that they were far right chairs...
– That's right-wing chairs. I saw it, too, funny. As far as I know, Germany is presently prohibited from placing the "Compact" logo anywhere, so even if you compose an article on this issue, you cannot show the cover of the "Compact" or show the actual logo, due to the fact that the symbol itself has been banned, it has become illegal.
You mentioned Grundgesetz and Article 5 of the Basic Act, if I am correct, guaranteeing freedom of speech in Germany.
- Yeah.
What was the legal basis for the full "Compact" monthly case?
– The legal basis was just invented. Officially, they cannot straight ban publication of a magazine due to Grundgesetz records, due to freedom of speech. No legal proceedings have always been brought against the ‘Compact’. His editorial board was never found guilty of the alleged hatred speech. There was no precedent. So what did they do? Minister Nancy Faeser fundamentally said that "Compact" magazine is actually a club, an association, not a magazine. And if you have an association or a club that acts contrary to the constitutional democratic order of the German state, then you can ban its activities. This is the pretext they utilized to ban the issue of "Compact". I have already read many articles on this subject in various conservative magazines and websites. Of course, the "Compact" will appeal, go to court. Many lawyers say they'll most likely win. But it will take months or years to settle this case. At this time, ‘Compact’ cannot be published. So they'll be ruined anyway, even if they win the lawsuit.
You mean the highest instance? They'll most likely besides file a complaint with the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, right?
- Exactly, yes. I think that's what they're going to do.
Are there many specified cases in Germany? I mean, a akin model of fighting the alleged far right?
– I read an article on my friend Pierre Krebs' website. It runs an Ahnenrad website, which is dedicated to metapolitics, biology, anthropology, culture, literature, history, politics, etc. He besides published respective books on any controversial subjects, any related to race, a racial issue, and others related to any historical events. That's why he's inactive in court. The police broke into his flat and confiscated his computer, copied the files. It's a very common practice. Honestly, I hear about it all the time in Germany. Very often, erstwhile I perceive to radio, I hear, for example, about police raids in Hesia, or searches throughout Thuringia, or any another landa. News that police broke up another right-wing club or right-wing organization and searched any 25 more people's homes, confiscated various incriminating documents. The German authorities tolerate no objection. People just gotta accept it, due to the fact that I don't think it's gonna change unless the government changes.
Constantin von Hoffmeister
I don't think it's rather so that all these repressions are specifically directed at the alleged utmost right or right as such. I've read a fewer "Compact" monthly numbers. 1 of them even included Sahra Wagenknecht on the cover. So possibly it was more like an anti-system or an anti-establishment magazine?
– Well, they may have supported Sahra Wagenknecht in any ways, but the "Compact" was alternatively critical of Wagenknecht due to the fact that it mainly supported AfD. They wanted Sahra Wagenknecht's fresh organization to work with AfD, especially in East Germany. In East Germany, AfD can get 30% to 40% of support, and the fresh Sahra Wagenknecht organization can get up to 10% to 15%. So if AfD worked with the Wagenknecht party, they could have over 50% and fundamentally make all the crucial decisions. But on the another hand, her organization wants nothing to do with AfD and prefers to cooperate even with the Christian-Democratic Union, even though the AFD and the Wagenknecht organization have much more in common than her CDU party. For example, they have very akin positions on the conflict in Ukraine. They besides have a very akin view of immigration. These are 2 truly crucial issues, possibly the most crucial at the minute in Germany. But Sarha Wagenknecht refuses to cooperate due to the fact that for her, AfDs are right-wing extremists and thus they are like lepers.
In total, the editor-in-chief of “Compact” Jürgen Elsässer was associated with the far left a while ago.
– Actually, he was an utmost anti-German (anti-Deutsche) agent.
Yeah, yeah.
– In the past, yes, he worked for various anti-German newspapers and I would add that he was rather a popular anti-German publicist, but seemingly changed sides. Since he has been directing the "Compact" monthly, his views are diametrically contradicting the old anti-German beliefs due to the fact that he became radically pro-German. I was at the "Compact" conference in east Germany last year, in Magdeburg, where he gave a speech that was highly inspiring and very patriotic.
What was the real political reason for all this? Nancy Faeser represents the Social Democratic organization of Germany, SPD. And this organization is, according to the polls, weaker than AfD. So is it truly a hit against AfD alternatively than against "Compact" as such?
Absolutely. A 100 percent. That's precisely what I've been saying for the last fewer days. "Compact" is 1 of the most crucial AfD propaganda bodies. He was doing excellent propaganda for AfD and was rather popular. It could be bought in the past, at all major railway station in all of Germany, even in the tiny town where I live. The writing had a mass distribution and was 100% favored with AfD. We have crucial choices soon, so I think the strategy is afraid of their results and is utilizing all the means available to it to simply collect the AfD votes. I think it was an AfD hit.
But will it be effective? What is the opinion of most Germans about this substance and freedom of speech?
– To be honest, most Germans most likely think like the guy I met at the restaurant. I read akin posts on the "Compact" case on X. These are posts of average Germans who are very happy about all this. This is for them another strike at the “Nazis”, “right extremists”. However, any people are critical. They are not only conservatives or right-wing people, but even any left-wing people – even those who hatred "Compact" never read it. I read comments like “I am not a reader of ‘Compact’, ‘Compact’ is disgusting to me, but I would never forbid it and that is not the right approach.” Thus, there are individuals in the mainstream who are critical of the ban on the publication of the Compact. But in general – this is my individual impression of talking to people and just reading comments on social media – most people think it is good that the magazine was banned.
That's beautiful shocking. What's the alternative? I mean, is "Compact" and magazine editorial planning to replace it with any fresh project? Do you think they will print anything else?
– I've never heard of a project. I think it's besides early, to be honest. I've never heard of specified plans. If they're planning a fresh project, they most likely won't announce it right distant due to the fact that it's most likely besides early. I think there might be something in a fewer weeks or months.
Who will be next erstwhile it comes to banning more German media? I wonder, for example, about "Junge Freiheit".
“Junge Freiheit is prepared for this. But I do not think that ‘Junge Freiheit’ will be banned due to the fact that it is almost part of the system. "Junge Freiheit" editors over the last decade or 2 have softened their position so much that they match possibly a somewhat more right-wing CDU version. So I cannot imagine the "Junge Freiheit" ban. In my opinion, this magazine has become besides mainstream. I think that specified prohibitions could be threatened by the magazine "Sesion" published by the Antaios Publishing House. I was in that release last week. It is now the most crucial right-wing publishing home in Germany. It seems truly interesting titles, specified as Martin Sellner's book Remigration, which has become a immense bestseller. They besides print Guillaume Fay's books. Antaios publishing home publishes all the most crucial German authors of the fresh Right. Last week they had a summertime Festival where I attended, where I met Martin Sellner again. Maximilian Krah was besides there. He made a speech. And Maximilian Krah, in my opinion, is now the most interesting politician in Germany. It sits in the European Parliament in Brussels. He's a very smart man, and he's very charismatic. He besides wrote a book published by Antaios publishing house. The publication publishes the magazine “Sezession”. It is not as large as the "Compact", but I would say it is the second largest New-Right magazine published in Germany. Actually, they even wrote on their website that it could have been them, not "Compact".
But they are, say, more intellectually sophisticated.
– Yeah, that's why I don't think it's specified an crucial target. "Compact" was more focused on mainstream. besides in substantive and stylistic terms, he was not very sophisticated intellectually, due to the fact that he wanted to scope the widest possible audience. I think that's besides the reason he became the target.
If we consider it a blow to AfD, the next question is: could AfD be banned in the future? There have been specified publications, there are authors, columnists who compose about the request to ban AfD activities. Is it realistic to presume that the strategy could prohibit the existence of a organization as such?
– I believe that this is not real at the moment, due to the fact that the NPD, the National-Democratic organization of Germany, has already been tried in the past. They tried to ban them respective times and it always ended in failure. And the NPD is far more extremist than the AfD. Which is why I don't think they're gonna make it out of AfD.
Is the tactics of becoming increasingly centred and politically correct a good solution in these hard times? I am talking about a very concrete example. You mentioned Maximilian Krah. As far as we know, he was expelled from the AfD delegation in the European Parliament under force from the Marine Le Pen and the French. So do you think becoming more and more centred and more politically correct, like Rassemblement National in France, is simply a good strategy?
This peculiar case you are talking about: Maximilian Krah thrown out of the faction in the European Parliament due to the pressures of Le Pen is rather funny. due to the fact that what precisely did he do? Why was he thrown out? For interviewing an Italian newspaper. This Italian paper asked him if he thought all the Waffen-SS members were war criminals. And he said, “Well, I don’t think they were all criminals.”
In my opinion, this message is not peculiarly controversial. I would even say that this is simply a factual statement. I mean, at the end of the war, there were about a million members. Almost half of it wasn't even Germans. They came from different European countries. And I find it hard to believe that each of them was a criminal or joined the Waffen-SS with a criminal intent. It's just unbelievable. Maximilian Krah said practically the same thing. He stated: "Yes, there were surely criminal elements in Waffen-SS, but surely not all were criminals." For example, Günter Grass, a very celebrated German writer. I mean 1 of the most celebrated German writers of the 20th century. A leftist liberal writer, so praised for decades by leftist media, until it became apparent that he was in Waffen-SS. Does that mean he was a criminal? I don't know. In my opinion, that message was alternatively harmless. Then Krah was thrown out due to the fact that Le Pen said it was unacceptable. Salvini, of course, followed in her footsteps and said that this was unacceptable. shortly there were quite a few photos on X where Le Pen stood next to Franz Schönhuber. Schönhuber was a German politician who was very popular in 1990. He was headed by Die Republican, Republicans, a reasonably right-wing party, long before the AffD was established. The Republican leader in Germany was a associate of Waffen-SS. Not only was he a associate of the Waffen-SS, but he trained the French division of Waffen-SS Charlemagne there. There are plenty of pictures of Marine Le Pen standing next to Franz Schönhuber in 1990. Like best friends. Her father was close to him. So she was his good friend too. So if she thinks they were all criminals, why would she willingly pose for photos with specified a criminal? I see hypocrisy here. I besides think the AfD made the incorrect decision by throwing Krah out as a consequence of the pressure. They should be defending him. They shouldn't be under pressure. It didn't aid them anyway, due to the fact that even after they threw him out, they wouldn't let them go back to the faction. They had to start their own group. I will briefly answer your question: the mistake is that strategy you mentioned – counting on the effect of softening your position, as Le Pen did.
Actually, AfD does the same with 1 of the Polish Euro MPs, Grzegorz Braun. It was not accepted by the group formed by AfD. Thus, in the AfD series there is besides a kind of politically correct centre trend.
- Absolutely. AfD has a list of parties and organizations that do not conform to what they call their values. If as a German you have always been a associate of any of these organizations or parties, even in the past, even if you are no longer a associate of it – you can never become an AfD member. They won't take you. And there are quite a few people who would like to join AfD, but they can't due to the fact that they were members of specified organizations before. This applies to the erstwhile NPD members I mentioned earlier. If you've always been to the NPD, you'll never be able to become an AfD member. So they want to distance themselves from those they consider right-wing extremists in AfD. That, in my opinion, is simply a mistake. Mainstream media see AfD as right-wing extremists, as do the NPD. They're not truly different.
Turning to a summary of our conversation, I would like to ask you about the chances of a extremist change in Germany. I always say that we request Germany to become sovereign, so that all another European countries become sovereign. If Germany is free from a globalistic embrace, there is simply a chance that Europe, another European countries, including Poland, my country, will besides become sovereign. So how do you see the chances of the current political strategy falling in the coming years?
– I don't see them. I'm more of a pessimist. I don't see the likelihood of any change in the close future. We have a strong AfD in East Germany. She became very popular there. But that's not enough. Even if AfD is 35-40%, it's not adequate due to the fact that no organization will cooperate with her. At least that's what they're declaring now. They would form coalitions against the AfD. Hypothetically, if they had obtained 50-55% of support in the national states in the east, they could most likely have made any changes, but I think they would inactive be limited by the national government, due to the fact that at national level, as well as throughout Germany, they would inactive be minority. I can't imagine AfD getting 50% of the support in all of Germany. And that is what it takes to make real changes. And I'm an even more pessimist here: even if AfD got, say 60% in all of Germany, full of power, she might have acted like Giorgia Meloni. Meloni is now in power in Italy. Everyone was truly excited about her before she came to power. In fact, nothing has changed, and she has ruled for any time. This is what Martin Sellner calls melonization of politics. any AfD politicians said you should avoid melonizing AfD. But to be honest, I think it's very hard due to the fact that we have Realpolitik.
All politicians, they want power, they want to get to the top like Le Pen. Le Pen sacrificed her father for this intent and greatly softened her views. She now rejects remigration, which is besides extremist for her, etc. But it didn't aid her – she lost again. It's only three, not even two. AfD ranks at least second in Germany, which is ironic. So, frankly, I think this melonization is most likely inevitable. due to the fact that it's a systemic phenomenon. AfD is inactive part of the system, part of the electoral mechanism. That's why they gotta play this game. I mean, they want power, so they soften their position due to the fact that they most likely want to enter the CDU coalition in the east Lands after the election. So I do not have large hopes in Germany.
Thank you for talking to me.
Matthew Piskorski spoke
Constantin von Hoffmeister is simply a German journalist, editor-in-chief of the Arktos Media portal. His book was late published in English: Esoteric Trumpism, Arktos Publishing home 2024.
Think Poland, No. 33-34 (11-18.08.20124)
