Conflict over AfD election campaign posters escalates, Dortmund files lawsuit - Court action on dispute about AfD campaign materials in Dortmund
Dortmund Bans AfD from Using City Coat of Arms on Election Posters
In a significant move, the city of Dortmund has prohibited the Alternative for Germany (AfD) from using the Dortmund city coat of arms on its campaign posters for the upcoming municipal election in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The decision, based on legal provisions, stipulates that the right to use the city coat of arms belongs exclusively to the municipality. This is in accordance with Section 14(2) of the North Rhine-Westphalia Municipal Code and Section 12 of the German Civil Code.
City officials have ordered the AfD to remove or obscure the symbol from its election posters, warning that they would seek an injunction in the Dortmund Regional Court if the party fails to comply.
The AfD has contested the ban, citing previous instances where other groups, such as the CDU in 2014 and the activist group Omas gegen Rechts, have used the coat of arms. However, the city clarified that these cases were either linked to funding conditions or temporary permits that have since expired.
The dispute is not limited to posters. The city has requested that the AfD should not use or publish the Dortmund city coat of arms in any election advertising, including on the internet and social media. Existing posters with these signs should be destroyed or made unrecognizable.
The city asserts that the use of the city coat of arms for election campaign purposes is not granted to any party for reasons of neutrality. The AfD, on the other hand, argues that other parties, such as the CDU and the Free Voters, were allowed to use a modified coat of arms in the 2014 municipal election.
The AfD district association has rejected the city's request to cease and desist, stating that they have been using the city coat of arms on publications for years without any objections. The city of Dortmund is seeking an injunction against the AfD district association, with the application to be filed at the Dortmund Regional Court.
The AfD is continuing to put up posters in the municipal election campaign that, according to the city's assessment, show a slightly modified form of the more than 1,000-year-old Dortmund coat of arms. The party has not yet announced its decision on any potential appeal.
[1] Source: AfD statement, Dortmund city officials' correspondence, and local media reports.
- The community policy of Dortmund, as demonstrated by barring the AfD from using the city coat of arms on election posters, reflects a stance against the politicization of the city's symbol.
- The dispute over the AfD's use of the Dortmund city coat of arms in election advertising has escalated to include a case of employment policy, with the city seeking an injunction against the AfD district association in the Dortmund Regional Court.
