German court overturns ban on 'hang the Greens' election posters
A German court on Tuesday overturned a ban on neo-Nazi election posters bearing the slogan "hang the Greens", following a legal challenge.
The administrative court in Chemnitz, in the eastern state of Saxony, said the controversial campaign material of extreme right-wing party "The Third Way" (Der III. Weg) could be displayed, as long as it was at least 100 metres (330 feet) away from any campaign posters of the ecologist Greens party.
The ruling -- which was only provisional and can still be challenged by both sides -- came after the right-wing party contested a decision by the city of Zwickau last week to ban the posters, which had been placed next to those of the Greens.
The court said in a statement that it was "an open question" whether the limits placed on freedom of expression were justified in the run-up to elections in Germany on September 26th.
The public prosecutor's office in Saxony has separately ordered an investigation into the far-right party for incitement of hatred.
READ ALSO: German far-right scene grows as ‘extremists infiltrate lockdown protests’
A 2020 report from the German domestic intelligence service described The Third Way as a "meeting place for individuals in the neo-Nazi scene and on occasion, members of banned organisations."
The Greens are a regular target for far-right activists who accuse them of wanting to implement widespread bans, including on combustion engines under the banner of the fight against climate change.
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The administrative court in Chemnitz, in the eastern state of Saxony, said the controversial campaign material of extreme right-wing party "The Third Way" (Der III. Weg) could be displayed, as long as it was at least 100 metres (330 feet) away from any campaign posters of the ecologist Greens party.
The ruling -- which was only provisional and can still be challenged by both sides -- came after the right-wing party contested a decision by the city of Zwickau last week to ban the posters, which had been placed next to those of the Greens.
The court said in a statement that it was "an open question" whether the limits placed on freedom of expression were justified in the run-up to elections in Germany on September 26th.
The public prosecutor's office in Saxony has separately ordered an investigation into the far-right party for incitement of hatred.
READ ALSO: German far-right scene grows as ‘extremists infiltrate lockdown protests’
A 2020 report from the German domestic intelligence service described The Third Way as a "meeting place for individuals in the neo-Nazi scene and on occasion, members of banned organisations."
The Greens are a regular target for far-right activists who accuse them of wanting to implement widespread bans, including on combustion engines under the banner of the fight against climate change.
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