A handout picture taken September 8, 2021 and obtained September 16, 2021 shows an election poster saying \"Hang The Greens\", placed by The Third Way, a far-right party with suspected links to neo-Nazi groups, in Zwickau, Germany. Radio Zwickau\/Handout via REUTERS<\/p>\n
BERLIN, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A German court on Tuesday ordered the removal of election posters reading \"Hang The Greens\" put up by a far-right party suspected of links to neo-Nazi groups.<\/p>\n
The posters were put up around the eastern city of Zwickau by the Third Way, a small party monitored by security services, days before a vote that will set the course of Europe's leading power after the departure of Chancellor Angela Merkel.<\/p>\n
The Greens, third in the polls, are likely to be part of a coalition government after the Sept. 26 vote.<\/p>\n
The top regional court in the state of Saxony overruled a lower court that had said the posters could stay up as long as they were not displayed within 100 metres (yards) of Greens posters.<\/p>\n
\"The party's freedom of expression must take a back seat to the protection of public safety,\" the regional court said in a statement. It said the posters could be seen as inciting hatred and violence against members of the Greens.<\/p>\n
The Third Way had argued that the slogan was ambiguous, especially in the context of an election, as its campaign posters were themselves green in colour, and that there was a free speech justification for keeping them 'hung up'.<\/p>\n
Separately, Germany's highest court threw out a petition filed by the Third Way for its Facebook (FB.O) page, which is currently suspended, to be unblocked until after the election.<\/p>\n
The Constitutional Court said the party, which fielding candidates in the states of Saxony and Bavaria, had failed to submit adequate arguments.<\/p>\n
German concerns about far-right violence were heightened two years ago when conservative politician Walter Luebcke was shot dead by a neo-Nazi for his pro-immigration views.<\/p>\n
Reporting by Emma Thomasson and Douglas Busvine; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Kevin Liffey<\/p>\n
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.<\/p>\n
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See the original post: A handout picture taken September 8, 2021 and obtained September 16, 2021 shows an election poster saying \"Hang The Greens\", placed by The Third Way, a far-right party with suspected links to neo-Nazi groups, in Zwickau, Germany. Radio Zwickau\/Handout via REUTERS BERLIN, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A German court on Tuesday ordered the removal of election posters reading \"Hang The Greens\" put up by a far-right party suspected of links to neo-Nazi groups Continue reading
\nGerman court orders removal of 'Hang the Greens' posters - Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"