A German court on Friday ruled that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party must allow national journalists access to an election night event in the state of Thuringia.
Several leading German media outlets have taken legal action against the AfD in Thuringia after the AfD denied their reporters access to the party with the election results.
The newsmagazine Spiegel, Axel Springer’s newspapers Welt and Bild and the left-wing newspaper Taz argued in court that press freedom was endangered by the AfD’s decision.
The verdict is not yet final and the AfD can appeal.
Voters in Thuringia will elect a new state parliament on September 1, and polls show the AfD with a wide lead. The AfD’s state-level leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, is known throughout Germany for his radical views and highly controversial remarks, including two convictions for knowingly quoting a Nazi slogan in speeches.
The spokesman for the Thuringian state organisation AfD, Torben Braga, told dpa that they have not yet received the decision and do not want to comment until he has been able to see the ruling.
A few days ago, Braga and other AfD leaders in Thuringia told dpa that space at the party venue was limited and that it had been decided to invite a small group of journalists who regularly report on politics in Thuringia and the local AfD party.
“The one venue we have can hold 200 people, so it will be full. We have reserved 50 seats for the press and radio,” said Thuringia’s AfD co-chair Stefan Möller. “We have to draw the line somewhere.”
AfD leaders had previously indicated that they would cancel the event if a court ordered them to allow more journalists.
The actual location of the election night party is being kept secret due to what the AfD describes as security concerns.
