A German court has upheld the dismissal of a trainee teacher for failing to prove her “loyalty” to the country’s constitution.
The educator was dismissed after authorities found out she had previously worked as a presenter for Compact TV, a right-leaning media outlet that has repeatedly come under fire from the German government.
An attempt by the teacher to challenge the legality of her dismissal in the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court failed, with the court ruling she had not properly informed her employer of her work with Compact.
“The state of Brandenburg may withdraw the appointment of a trainee teacher due to fraudulent deception if she concealed important facts about her professional career before being hired, which she was asked about,” the court said.
The court also upheld a previous ruling by a lower court in Frankfurt that the woman’s dismissal was lawful as she failed to provide a “guarantee of constitutional loyalty required for appointment to the civil service”.
“This decision is final,” added the Berlin court.
The ruling is the latest instance of the German state clashing with Compact and staff associated with it, with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution designating it a “proven right-wing extremist” outlet in 2021.
Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser attempted to ban Compact entirely earlier this year, though Germany’s Federal Administrative Court overturned that attempt in a provisional ruling.
Controversial right-wing German magazine Compact has filed a lawsuit with the country’s Federal Administrative Court against a ban. https://t.co/on4XR1NQpz
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 26, 2024
