Weimer does not further retract controversial statement about Berlin bookstore after court ruling

A court spokesperson confirmed to Deutschlandfunk: "The decision is therefore legally binding." The court ruled that Weimer's statement violated the general right of personality of the booksellers. It also prohibited him from repeating the controversial statement until the main proceedings are decided.

Background: Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Book Prize

Weimer had justified the removal of the three bookstores from the shortlist of the German Bookstore Prize at the beginning of the year, citing, among other things, "findings relevant to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution." What exactly lies behind this wording has not yet been made public.

When asked by "Die Zeit" why he had intervened in the awarding of the bookstore prize, Weimer replied that the state could not award prizes to "political extremists." The booksellers subsequently refused to issue a legally binding cease-and-desist declaration and took the matter to court.

The Administrative Court clarified that Weimer's statement was to be understood as him labeling the affected individuals themselves as political extremists. Despite multiple inquiries, Weimer did not explain what specific findings had prompted him to inquire with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in the first place.

Reactions and Unanswered Questions

For those affected, the decision is a tactical victory. The lawyer for the Berlin bookstore, Jasper Prigge, said: "The defamation of the bookstore by Minister of State for Culture Weimer was a clear breach of law. This has now also been clarified by the court." At the same time, he demanded: "Mr. Weimer should apologize and finally rehabilitate the three bookstores."

Beyond the fundamental clarification, further proceedings are still pending before the Berlin Administrative Court. The bookstore "Zur schwankenden Weltkugel" and two other bookstores, which were also removed from the shortlist, are primarily seeking access to the files of the award procedure through legal action.

The lawyers for the three bookstores see "a constitutionally protected interest in knowing exactly who influenced the award of the prize, when, and why, in this hitherto unprecedented manner." When the judges will decide on these lawsuits in the main proceedings remains open.

Weimer himself did not comment initially. A statement from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media was not available on the morning of June 3. The ministry had already retreated in the "Zeit" interview to the position that awarding prizes to "political extremists" was out of the question.

Significance for the Book Industry

Observers view the legally binding decision as a signal that political officeholders may not use blanket attributions like "extremist" without a solid basis. The justification that findings were available does not replace verifiable facts.

The legally binding preliminary injunction does not end the legal dispute over the German Bookstore Prize. The main proceedings of the three bookstores, as well as open questions about the role of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, remain on the agenda of the Berlin Administrative Court.

The German Bookstore Prize is awarded annually by the Minister of State for Culture and is one of the most important awards for owner-managed bookstores in Germany. The removal of the three bookstores had caused nationwide outrage in the industry.