German Bookstore Prize: Which was enough for Weimer to eliminate three bookstores

“There are books on feminism and queerness, leftist theory and its discussion, social movements, National Socialism and its reception, Marxist theory, critical theory, anti-racism and migration […]”. "According to the bookstore's website, the range includes, among other things, 'books on left-wing politics, youth subcultures, music.' In addition, in the 'Links' section there are, among other things, links to Antifa in Bremen," or simply the statement that the "bookstore has an obvious political orientation."

These pieces of information are said to have been enough for Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer in March 2026 to request information from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution about the three bookstores “Golden Shop” (Bremen), “Zur swaying Weltkugel” (Berlin) and “Buchladen Rote Straße” (Göttingen), as shown by documents that t-online received under the Freedom of Information Act.

The research that the news portal published on Wednesday also calls into question whether Weimer accurately informed the public about the process: In October 2025, according to t-online, the specialist department recommended that all 118 stores suggested by the jury be awarded.

According to t-online, what was recorded about the three shops in Göttingen, Bremen and Berlin is essentially limited to information from their websites. Our own research or justification for further reviews are not documented. The correspondence with the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is classified as classified information.

Weimer defended his actions by pointing out that the state should not support political extremists. The Berlin administrative court forbade him to make this statement after one of the bookstores took legal action against it. According to t-online, constitutional lawyer Christoph Möllers expects that in the ongoing bookstore proceedings the request to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution will also be declared unlawful. A report by the Scientific Services of the Bundestag considers parts of the Haber procedure used to be unconstitutional. (taz)