Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has officially classified the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a “proven right-wing extremist organization,” marking the most serious step yet in Berlin’s efforts to contain the rising political force.
The move, announced Friday by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), means that the AfD is no longer merely under suspicion. The agency says it now has definitive evidence that the party works against Germany’s democratic system.
[...]
The new classification doesn’t ban the party, but it allows German authorities to intensify surveillance, including the use of undercover informants and monitoring communications, under judicial oversight.
It also raises the political stakes as establishment parties will face growing pressure to rule out cooperation with the AfD at any level of government.
The decision could fuel calls for a formal party ban, though that would require approval from Germany’s top constitutional court and backing from the national government or parliament— an uphill legal and political battle.
I hope that it will end in ban. There is no reason for allowing extremist organizations to work legally and enjoying law protection when the same organization seek to undermine state.
The move, announced Friday by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), means that the AfD is no longer merely under suspicion. The agency says it now has definitive evidence that the party works against Germany’s democratic system.
[...]
The new classification doesn’t ban the party, but it allows German authorities to intensify surveillance, including the use of undercover informants and monitoring communications, under judicial oversight.
It also raises the political stakes as establishment parties will face growing pressure to rule out cooperation with the AfD at any level of government.
The decision could fuel calls for a formal party ban, though that would require approval from Germany’s top constitutional court and backing from the national government or parliament— an uphill legal and political battle.
I hope that it will end in ban. There is no reason for allowing extremist organizations to work legally and enjoying law protection when the same organization seek to undermine state.
The first revolt is against the supreme tyranny of theology, of the phantom of God. As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth.
Mikhail Bakunin.
Mikhail Bakunin.
