Halle book fair to host right-wing and conservative media figures

The second annual “Seitenwechsel” book fair, organized by Dresden bookseller Susanne Dagen, is scheduled to take place in Halle, Germany, on November 7 and 8. The event aims to serve as a networking hub for the “anti-mainstream” scene, with organizers expecting approximately 10,000 visitors and up to 150 exhibitors.

The program features a wide spectrum of participants, ranging from conservative and right-wing publishers to figures associated with the far-right. Notable attendees and participants include AfD politicians, media outlets such as Nius and Apollo News, and the Compact-Verlag. The latter plans to host a remote discussion via Zoom with Alexander Dugin, a Russian ideologue currently under EU sanctions for spreading propaganda against Ukraine.

Other participants include Dietmar Munier, a long-standing figure in the far-right publishing world, and Harald Martenstein, a columnist for Welt am Sonntag and Bild. Observers note that the fair highlights an increasing permeability between far-right extremist circles and mainstream conservative movements, following recent electoral successes by the AfD.