Schloss Proschwitz defends itself against appropriation by the AfD

Proschwitz Castle near Meissen is defending itself against abuse and appropriation by the AfD. During the current election campaign for the chief seat in Meissen town hall, the AfD took photos and filmed footage for their election commercials on the estate - without permission to take photos or film, the castle owners Georg Prinz zur Lippe and Alexandra Prinzessin zur Lippe announced. "We will not tolerate our good image being abused and damaged by political free riders."

Owners demand removal of the images from the network

"We expect an apology from the AfD for repeatedly violating the house rules on photography and filming on our property. We demand and expect that the photos taken illegally on our Proschwitz property as well as the misleading accompanying texts and moving images be removed from the internet and social media without delay," it said. Proschwitz is a place of enjoyment and culture, a cosmopolitan, internationally renowned winery with an international workforce. They will not allow it to be misused for party political purposes.

According to the owners, a Meissen city councillor had visited the publicly accessible park at Proschwitz Castle with an editor from the far-right magazine "Compact" and posted photos of it on Facebook and Instagram. The accompanying text gives the impression that the photos were taken with the knowledge and approval or even at the invitation of the castle owners. "It should be noted that we were not informed about this visit by the AfD city councillor and the 'Compact' editor. We would never have given permission for these photos either."

Footage in election commercial also shot without permission

Since this week, an election advertising video by the "Compact" editorial team has also been circulating online, which features the AfD candidate for the Meissen mayoral election on 7 September. "There are several sequences in the film that were shot on our property without permission and without our knowledge. One scene takes place in the vinotheque, which was clearly filmed with a hidden camera." Portrait photos of the owners are also shown.

Castle owners do not rule out legal action

According to the owners, clearly visible signs state that permission must be requested for all photos and moving images that are not taken for private purposes. They reserve the right to consider legal action.

The Saxon AfD regional association was classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization in December 2023. The AfD took legal action against this in vain.