The “Best Bookstore in Germany” award, given by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media – that is a reason to be happy. No question for the award winner, the Ulm bookseller Rasmus Schöll, head of the “Aegis Bookstore”. But the awarding of the prize was under the shadow of political influence. Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer had excluded three bookstores. Schöll is not directly affected, but is horrified.
My neck is here and I’m so angry.
Pure joy looks different: Normally the champagne corks would have popped, says Rasmus Schöll. His bookstore Aegis is one of three nationwide that was awarded the main prize of the German Bookstore Prize 2025. But, says Schöll, “anger and rage” dominate at the moment.
“Findings under constitutional protection law” lead to exclusion
Table of Contents
- “Findings under constitutional protection law” lead to exclusion
- Testing procedures for extremism protection are applied to the cultural sector
- Rasmus Schöll: Testing procedure is non-transparent and “practically impossible to challenge”
- Constitutional lawyer: unjustified encroachments on fundamental rights
What had happened? Year after year, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media awards prizes to independent bookstores that do particularly good work. An independent jury decides which bookstores will receive an award. This year – apparently after the awards had been decided – three bookstores were excluded from the award at the instigation of Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer. The reason given by Weimer was that there were “information relevant to the protection of the constitution”.
It wasn’t the excellent bookstores that caused this situation. It wasn’t the independent jury that caused it. It was caused by political interference in a jury trial that had already been concluded.
The Aegis boss doesn’t want to accept that politicians have a say in deciding which bookstore gets the chance to win an award and which doesn’t. Aegis is not alone in this. The German Book Trade Association also sharply criticized the action against the three excluded bookstores.
Testing procedures for extremism protection are applied to the cultural sector
The core of the conflict is the application of the so-called “Haber procedure”. This is an examination procedure in which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution examines institutions that receive public money. State funding has only rarely been canceled: in 2018 and 2019, for example, when activities in the areas of Islamism and left-wing extremism were uncovered.
Minister of State for Culture Weimer applied this test procedure to protect against extremism to the cultural sector this year, specifically to the awarding of the German Bookstore Prize. Three bookstores were excluded from the award.
Exclusion from left-wing bookstores
Ravensburg bookseller criticizes decision on bookstore price
Ravensburg bookseller criticizes decision on bookstore price
There is a lot of criticism from cultural workers in the dispute over the bookstore price. A Ravensburg bookseller also symbolically shows Minister of State for Culture Weimer the “red card”.
Rasmus Schöll: Testing procedure is non-transparent and “practically impossible to challenge”
Bookseller Rasmus Schöll’s hat goes off here: the application of the Haber procedure leads to a vague accusation, namely “findings relevant to the protection of the constitution”. It discredits bookstores and assumes that they do not stand on the basis of the constitution – without making it clear what the accusation actually is. Those affected are not given any insight into what they are accused of: “Nobody knows what is going on against these three bookstores and that made me angry,” said Schöll.
Constitutional lawyer: unjustified encroachments on fundamental rights
The constitutional lawyer Christoph Möllers wrote a guest article for the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” at the beginning of March. came to the conclusion that the procedure led to constitutionally unjustified encroachments on fundamental rights in the disadvantaged bookstores.
Debate about Weimer
Minister of State for Culture under pressure
Minister of State for Culture under pressure
Boos at the book fair and sharp criticism in the Bundestag: The debate about Minister of State for Culture Weimer is not only becoming a burden for him and his office. By Tina Handel, Cla…
The three excluded bookstores have announced that they will sue against the procedure. They are supported by the German Book Trade Association. Rasmus Schöll and numerous other bookstores also contribute to the legal costs.
It’s about the independence of the book trade and artistic freedom, says Schöll: “For Aegis, this main prize is a great honor – and at the same time a confirmation of what we work on every day: that independent bookstores are indispensable.”
