German communist activist Ken Merten is facing what amounts to a professional ban after authorities in Leipzig moved to strip him of the legal “reliability” required to work in the private security sector.
Merten, who works as a security guard and has contributed to left-wing publications including junge Welt and Unsere Zeit, was informed that he no longer met the conditions necessary to continue in the profession.
The decision was based not on professional misconduct, but on information supplied by Saxony’s domestic intelligence service concerning his political activity.
According to junge Welt, the authorities cited his previous role in the Socialist German Workers’ Youth (SDAJ), his journalistic activity, his participation in protests against military conscription and, above all, his membership in the German Communist Party (DKP).
On August 21, the Leipzig Administrative Court rejected Merten’s request for interim legal protection. While the main case is still pending, the court indicated that it considered doubts about his professional “reliability” to be justified. It argued that private security personnel perform “police-like functions” and must therefore fully respect the state’s monopoly on force.
Merten’s lawyer, Erkan Zünbül, has rejected the reasoning, stressing that only Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court can ban a political party. Since the DKP remains a legal party, he argues, membership in it cannot in itself justify exclusion from employment.
The case has revived concerns over the return of Berufsverbote — political exclusions from employment historically associated with West Germany’s anti-communist measures.
The political significance is clear: Merten is not accused of violence, abuse of his position or workplace misconduct. The decisive issue is his communist affiliation and political activity.
The case therefore raises a broader question about political freedoms in contemporary Germany: can membership in a legal communist party and openly anti-capitalist activity be sufficient grounds to bar someone from their profession?
From In Defense of Communism via This RSS Feed.