Germany: “Alternative for Germany” party officially declared extremist

Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the Alternative for Germany party as a right-wing extremist party, which does not mean it is banned but only gives the security services more powers for surveillance, Spiegel reports.

After many months of analysis, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has concluded that the entire Alternative for Germany party should be considered a confirmed right-wing extremist.

Until now, only its state branches in Thuringia, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt had this status, and the party as a whole was suspected of right-wing extremism.

The report includes more than 1,100 pages and contains numerous pieces of evidence to support its conclusion.

The new classification of the Alternative for Germany expands the powers of the relevant authorities to monitor the party’s activities through intelligence. Such surveillance may include wiretapping and undercover work.

The decision is likely to intensify the debate on whether Alternative for Germany should be banned, which would require the Bundestag, Bundesrat, or the government to file a request with the Constitutional Court.

Many politicians have previously said that the party’s classification as a confirmed right-wing extremist would be an important factor for them.

In the snap parliamentary elections, the AfD won 152 seats—almost twice as many as it had expected—and became the main opposition force. The party’s support is highest in the eastern states.

According to a poll conducted in early April, the AfD topped the country’s political party rankings for the first time.

The Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party of Germany, which will form the next German government, warned against allowing Alternative for Germany members to join the parliamentary oversight committee that oversees the intelligence services.