2024-03-07 05:05:13
First, train station bookstores threw the right-wing extremist “Compact” magazine off their shelves, now the house bank wants to end the business. However, the reasons for this are likely to be different.
The district court in Potsdam must clarify next week whether the company behind the right-wing extremist “Compact” magazine will lose its accounts. Managing director Jürgen Elsässer wants to have the Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse’s termination of business accounts declared invalid with an urgent application. The reason for that termination remained unclear until recently, but could be related to a current campaign.
An article on the magazine’s website has been saying for a few weeks: “We want to help where the AfD’s forces are not sufficient.” A series of events entitled “Blue Wave” is planned, which promises “‘Compact’ and AfD up close and personal.”
This idea could now be the trigger for account termination. Because: “Compact” asked for donations for the AfD supporter tour in the run-up to the European elections and the state elections in the eastern German states – and specified an account at the Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse. This suggests that the AfD’s party interests and election campaign are being financed through “Compact’s” business account.
For the “Blue Wave” tour, “folk festivals” with a stage program were announced in which AfD candidates should appear wherever possible. At the same time, the magazine reported that there will hardly be any subsidies from the AfD. This means that AfD politicians are literally offered a stage for election campaign appearances, and “Compact” covers the costs.
The approach could violate regulations on party financing, says left-wing politician Martina Renner: “Bundestag President Bärbel Bas must check the legality of this material and therefore financial support for the AfD at an early stage.” The Bundestag administration has not yet responded to a t-online query about the status.
“Objective reasons” can justify termination
But the Sparkasse was also apparently checked: the use of the account for the campaign could have been a possible reason for the institute to end the business relationship: “Compact” called on readers to donate a total of 91,000 euros for stage and technology costs . An additional cost of around 2,000 euros is expected for personnel per day of the event,
The use for targeted support of AfD and the collection of donations for such a purpose is not necessarily what the savings bank customer Elsässer stated as the business purpose: This is the publication of the magazine “Compact”, as noted in the articles of association of Compact-Magazin GmbH . The Sparkasse itself does not answer questions from t-online about this – banking secrecy: “We do not comment on individual business relationships,” said a spokesman. Elsässer also initially left a request from t-online unanswered.
The German Savings Banks and Giro Association cannot make any statements about specific individual cases. When asked by t-online, spokesman Stefan Marotzke made a general statement: “There are definitely objective reasons for which even a savings bank – which regularly has high hurdles for terminating an account – cannot be expected to open an account to open or continue.”
Different rules apply to savings banks than to private banks. According to a decision by the Federal Court of Justice in 2013, the latter can terminate the checking contract without giving reasons. At that time, Commerzbank received confirmation that it was allowed to end its business relationship with a book distributor with a right-wing extremist range “for fundamental reasons”.
Magazine secured extremist since 2021
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified “Compact” as “certain extremist” since the end of 2021. Most recently, train station bookstore chains decided to remove the magazine from their range after years of criticism. It remains to be seen whether the loss of this high-margin sales channel for “Compact” represents a financial loss or whether it will be offset by increased orders in the magazine’s online shop.
However, the extremist orientation alone would not be enough for a savings bank to be allowed to terminate the business relationship. Savings banks, as institutions under public law, need special reasons and are not allowed to terminate customers just because they might have an unconstitutional aim: an NPD regional association also fought before the Federal Court of Justice to be allowed to keep its savings bank account.