Wire flash
PoliticsGerman Greens file criminal charges against far-right extremist Martin Sellner
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
The German Green Party has filed criminal charges against Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner after he distributed a manipulated Green Party election poster on social media. The fake poster featured a photo montage of Abdul Ballout, the suspected attacker at a Christopher Street Day (CSD) event, with the slogan 'All Votes Green' and a link to the Bavarian Greens website. Green Secretary General Pegah Edalatian condemned the act as a 'perfidious' attempt by right-wing extremists to exploit a tragedy for political gain, emphasizing the party's dual stance against radical Islamism and right-wing extremism. Sellner, a leading figure in the Identitarian Movement and classified as a right-wing extremist by German constitutional protection authorities, has a history of legal battles over his public appearances. Courts have previously overturned bans on his events, citing insufficient evidence of imminent criminal offenses. The article also notes Sellner's contacts with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Source report
Martin Sellner speaking to journalists in January. Source: Martin Schutt/dpa
The Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner has reportedly been reported to authorities by the Greens, according to Zeit, citing party circles. The move follows Sellner's distribution of a manipulated Green Party election poster featuring the suspected CSD attacker.
Incident Details
Sellner, a leading figure of the so-called Identitarian Movement, posted a photo of suspected CSD attacker Abdul Ballout on X on Sunday. The image was presented as a photo montage on a supposed Green Party poster in Bavaria, bearing the text "All Votes Green" along with a reference to the Greens' Bavarian homepage.
Response from the Greens
Pegah Edalatian, Secretary General of the Greens, told Zeit that it was "perfidious" for right-wing extremists to exploit the situation by creating fake Green Party election posters to generate political sentiment.
"We consistently take action against radical Islamism and at the same time resolutely oppose queerphobia and right-wing extremism," she explained.
Background on Martin Sellner
- Classified by constitutional protection authorities as a prominent figure in the right-wing extremist spectrum
- Maintains contacts with the AfD
- Has faced repeated legal proceedings over planned readings and lectures
Recent Legal Developments
In a recent case, Sellner successfully defended himself against a ban on staying at the Karlsruhe Administrative Court. The municipality of Neulingen (Enzkreis) had previously prevented a reading by the Austrian in August 2024.
The municipality argued that Sellner posed a threat to the free democratic basic order due to his unconstitutional positions combined with his high reach, and that he was likely to commit crimes such as incitement to hatred during the reading. Sellner sued against the ban.
The court upheld the lawsuit, ruling the ban unlawful. It found that the municipality had not provided sufficient evidence that a criminally relevant statement was to be feared.
In February, the city of Ettlingen in Baden-Württemberg was also required to allow Sellner to appear at an AfD election campaign event.
Source
Nachrichten - WELTWestern
Part of this Story
German Greens File Charges Against Right-Wing Extremist Martin Sellner Over Manipulated Poster