The specialist magazine “Berliner Anwaltsblatt” reacts to criticism from readers and has decided to publish an article in the April issue delete interview online. In addition, the coming issue in May will be used to inform the readership transparently about the context of the article, the editor-in-chief, Astrid Auer-Reinsdorff, told the Tagesspiegel.
The issue in question, which appeared under the title “Paralleljustice”, contains a two-page interview with the lawyer Björn Clemens. Clemens has been for many years in the past Advisor to the far-right “Republicans” in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg. From 1993 to 2007 he was a member of the party.
As a lawyer, he represented again and again Actors from the right-wing and right-wing extremist scene like the NPD man Udo Pastors. Clemens defended individual defendants both in the NSU trial and in the Walter Lübcke murder case. The 56-year-old is Board member of the “Society for Free Journalism”which is classified as right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
No journalistic classification of the interview partner
None of this comes up when introducing Clemens as an interview partner in the “Anwaltsblatt”. The lawyer will only classified as a criminal defense attorney, who also represents clients who reject the “German legal order and the criminal system”. In the printed conversation, Clemens even uses terms that can be clearly assigned to the right-wing scene.
That’s what the lawyer says “mainstream press” and a “right-wing extremist conspiracy” in connection with the Lübcke trial. Elsewhere in the interview, Clemens is quoted as saying: “Unfortunately, it often happens that the process is an instrument for the state to fight political opponents.” None of the statements are critically questioned by the responsible editors.
In addition, in the “Anwaltsblatt” there is a large photo of Clemens with his smiling Colleague Nicole Schneiders pictured. Like Clemens, Schneiders is known for representing right-wing extremists. The Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution even assigned Schneiders to the neo-Nazi scene.
In the NSU trial, Schneiders defended Ralf Wohlleben, supporter of the right-wing terrorist trio. Even before Zschäpe, Mundlos and Böhnhardt exposed themselves, Schneiders had contact with Wohlleben. She is a member of the NPD and, according to a “Stern” report, took part in numerous right-wing extremist concerts, demonstrations and commemorative events.
Publishing it as is was a mistake.
Astrid Auer ReinsdorffEditor-in-Chief of the “Berliner Anwaltsblatt”
According to editor-in-chief Auer-Reinsdorff, the editors of the “Anwaltsblatt” were not aware of this important classifying information when the interview was published. “The publication in the present form was a mistake,” said the lawyer to the daily mirror.
In addition, the Berlin Lawyers’ Association and the mostly honorary editors of the “Berliner Anwaltsblatt” Commitment against right-wing extremism “a central concern.” The matter is taken as an opportunity to be more sensitive to future contributions to the topic. Right-wing extremist ideas do not want to be offered a platform, according to the editorial team.
The publisher of the “Berliner Anwaltsblatt” is the Berlin Lawyers’ Association, which has over 4,000 members the largest local network of lawyers in Germany represented. The specialist magazine is published monthly.
