MP Splits From AfD Faction - Over Classification by Constitutional Protection Agency
MP Departs from AfD Group - Overshadowed by Elevation by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution - AfD Group Loses Member Due to Constitutional Safeguards Allegiance
In an exclusive scoop, ZDF got hold of an email from Sieghard Knodel stating his need to safeguard his personal and professional sphere. He sees this move as unavoidable, although he expresses regret, expressing his desire to remain as an independent MP in the Bundestag.
Knodel's former AfD district association in Reutlingen were left surprised and disheartened by his departure. "We can't fathom the logic behind Mr. Knodel's decision - the labeling of AfD as a 'confirmed right-wing extremist' by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution," the district association commented. They urged Knodel to immediately hand over his Bundestag mandate to allow another AfD MP to take his spot.
This upgrade of AfD by the Constitutional Protection Agency is viewed as a "politically biased move" bereft of "any factual basis," the district association opined. "That Mr. Knodel seems oblivious to this political minefield is regrettable."
Knodel's departure provoked heated reactions on the AfD district association's Facebook page in Reutlingen. Commentators branded him a "traitor," "self-serving," and "electoral trickster."
On his Bundestag website biography, Knodel is identified as a business economist and master agricultural machinery mechanic. From 1992 to March 2025, he was reportedly the managing director of the company S. Knodel, best known for aerial work platform sales and rentals.
With Knodel's departure, the AfD faction reduces by one member to 151 MPs. The faction has seen member losses in previous legislative terms.
- AfD
- Constitutional Protection Agency
- Bundestag
- Upgrade
- Classification
- Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
- Reutlingen
- Sieghard Knodel
- Knodel's Company
- Political Minefield
- ZDF
Additional Insights
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV)'s classification of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" spurred Sieghard Knodel, an AfD member, to break away from the party and its parliamentary faction in May 2025. This classification came after a comprehensive assessment by the BfV, culminating in a 1,100-page report that painted the party's activities as anti-constitutional and racist.
Knodel's departure reduced the AfD's parliamentary representation in the Bundestag from 152 to 151 seats, a significant setback considering the party's recent electoral triumphs. AfD has responded to the classification by filing a lawsuit alleging it to be politically motivated and an invasion of free speech rights. The classification has triggered discussions on the future of the party and possible legal challenges, with some advocating for a ban on the party.
- The classification of AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution led Sieghard Knodel, a former AfD member, to leave the party and its parliamentary faction in May 2025.
- Knodel's departure from the AfD faction in the Bundestag decreased their representation from 152 to 151 seats, following a comprehensive assessment and a 1,100-page report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
- In response to the classification, AfD has filed a lawsuit alleging it to be politically motivated and an invasion of free speech rights, sparking discussions on the party's future and possible legal challenges, with some advocating for a ban on the party.
- The AfD district association in Reutlingen viewed the upgrade of their party by the Constitutional Protection Agency as a "politically biased move" with no factual basis, expressing their dismay over Sieghard Knodel's obliviousness to the political minefield.
