Martin Sellner: Reading despite the ban - police in action in Augsburg!

Martin Sellner: Reading despite the ban - police in action in Augsburg!

There was a lot of excitement in the city of Augsburg when tempers became heated on July 1, 2025 over an announced reading by the Austrian author Martin Sellner. Sellner, known as the head of the right-wing extremist Identitarian movement in Austria, wanted to read from his book “Remigration – a suggestion”. But the city of Augsburg banned him from entering the building in order to prevent possible crimes, as the Pforzheim police headquarters confirmed in a statement. Despite the legal hurdles, the author was determined to visit Augsburg and insisted on giving a reading.

Around 40 people registered for this controversial reading and gathered on July 1st at 4 p.m. at a meeting point in Oberhausen communicated via Telegram. As it turned out, the reading was not planned in Augsburg, but in a secret location outside the city. This strategy was clever: participants were given pieces of paper with the actual address, which were collected after reading, while a fake venue in Augsburg itself was presented to mislead police and counter-protesters. The police acted quickly and stormed the fake location, which was documented on Sellner's Telegram channel.

A controversial term

The discussion about Sellner's book revolves primarily around the term "remigration", which is interpreted differently. The author's opponents accuse him of advocating the expulsion or deportation of German citizens. Nevertheless, the Berlin Regional Court found that the reporting had created a “false impression,” particularly with regard to a possible discussion about the expulsion of German citizens. Sellner himself recommended reading his book to better understand the concepts mentioned. Nevertheless, there are also critical voices: The term is often used by right-wing extremists to steer migration processes in a clear direction and ultimately to demand that many people of foreign origin leave the country, even under pressure.

In this heated atmosphere, Sellner described the controversies surrounding his reading as a metapolitical success. The explosiveness of his performances is reflected not only in Augsburg, but also in other German cities, where his readings have recently been repeatedly disrupted by police actions. In newcomers, Baden-Württemberg, another reading by Sellner was canceled due to similar concerns, resulting in a eviction for the entire venue and further shortening his queue of readings. Sellner himself spoke on Telegram and spoke of his event being “exploded”, which reinforced his claims about the suppression of his expression.

The reactions

The reactions to Sellner's plans were divided. While some describe him as an “interesting author” and a recommended read, many others find his readings threatening. WELT editor Ulf Poschardt made it clear that, despite the numerous controversies and social outcry, Sellner is not considered to have a criminal record and that taking part in his reading represents a basic right to information since his book is not banned and does not have the character of a criminal offense.

Overall, this incident in Augsburg shows once again how heated the discussion about migration and identity is in society. Sellner's way of fueling these debates remains both controversial and highly socially relevant.