Martin Sellner's Media Strategy Borrowed from Left-Wing Activism, Freitag Reports

Martin Sellner, the right-wing theorist behind the "Institut für Remigration" in Sachsen-Anhalt, built his media profile by adopting tactics pioneered by left-wing activists, according to a report in the German weekly Freitag. Sellner's rise as the face of the "Identitären" movement rested on carefully staged imagery designed for social media: rapid cuts, apparent intimacy, and driving music paired with scenes meant to suggest political momentum. Central to this approach was the "Banner Drop" — the activist unrolling of banners from symbolic buildings — which Greenpeace had long used as a signature communication tool to attract attention. From 2013 onward, Sellner and the Identitären systematically appropriated the toolkit of left-wing activism. The report characterizes Sellner's "Institut für Remigration" as generating considerable attention alongside little substance, and describes him as a professional in political self-marketing. The full analysis appears in the current issue of Freitag.