Overview
- Berlin’s regional court found Correctiv’s central statement about a planned expulsion of German citizens unlawful and enjoined three passages, and Correctiv said it will appeal to the higher Kammergericht.
- The judges called the claim not only essentially untrue but also unclear and incomplete, saying an average reader could think speakers pushed state-forced expulsions of citizens, which the court said was not supported.
- A separate Hamburg court had backed Correctiv in December 2025 after reading the term “Masterplan” as opinion, showing how outcomes in German media law can hinge on whether wording is treated as fact or commentary.
- The ruling recounts that activist Martin Sellner outlined a “remigration” concept in Potsdam that targets three groups and proposes pressure and incentives for what he calls voluntary return, which differs from forced expulsion.
- Reactions split: Correctiv called the judgment a gloss on extremist ideas, some politicians and unions said their concerns about the AfD still stand, and critics like Focus columnist Jan Fleischhauer argued media amplified a claim without hard proof; appeals in Berlin and Hamburg now move to higher courts.