Criticizes Bremen's Senator Over Rhineland-Palatinate's Backing of AfD Party

In a significant turn of events, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is currently embroiled in a legal challenge against their classification as "undoubtedly right-wing extremist" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). The BfV's lengthy 1,100-page report, released in May 2025, labelled the AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" party, citing speeches and statements by party members deemed anti-constitutional.

This classification has sparked controversy and calls for action, particularly from the Social Democrats (SPD), who have urged constitutional authorities to prepare the legal grounds to potentially ban the AfD. However, the legal challenge by the AfD is ongoing, and no formal prohibition of the party has yet been enacted.

At a recent Interior Ministers' Conference in Bremerhaven, an agreement was made to establish a federal-state working group to regulate how AfD members in the civil service would be handled. The current status of this working group is unclear, with no further information provided about its composition or current activities.

Meanwhile, regional decisions to bar AfD members from entering the public service have sparked discontent, with Ulrich Maurer, Bremen's Interior Senator and Chairman of the Interior Ministers' Conference, expressing disappointment with Rhineland-Palatinate's decision in this regard.

In response to these developments, Rhineland-Palatinate's Interior Minister, Michael Ebling, announced a tightening of hiring practices in the civil service. The reasons for this decision are not yet clear, and no additional details have been provided.

The AfD party is actively defending itself against this classification, with no new information available about the details of their legal defense. The party has framed these entry bans as politically motivated harassment and anti-democratic.

Civil servants, meanwhile, are required to adhere to the duty of constitutional loyalty and commit to the free and democratic basic order as per the Basic Law. This obligation is intended to maintain the public's trust in the neutral exercise of their duties.

It is important to note that constitutional enemies have no place in the public service, according to Senate spokesman Matthias Makosch. The AfD is under observation by Rhineland-Palatinate's Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and the classification by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution remains on hold for now.

The agreement made at the Interior Ministers' Conference did not last 14 days, according to Ulrich Maurer, suggesting that further discussions and decisions regarding the AfD's role in the civil service may be forthcoming. The ongoing legal challenge and political pressure serve as a testament to the divisive nature of the AfD's presence in German politics.

[1] [The Local](https://www.thelocal.de/20250625/german-social-democrats-push-for-ban-of-afd) [2] [Deutsche Welle](https://www.dw.com/en/german-social-democrats-call-for-afd-ban/a-58087764) [3] [BBC News](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58088279) [4] [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/25/germany-social-democrats-push-to-ban-afd-as-unconstitutional)

Following the Interior Ministers' Conference held in Bremerhaven, a federal-state working group has been proposed to regulate the handling of AfD members in the civil service, but its current status and activities remain unclear.
Political debates and calls for action against the AfD, labeled as "undoubtedly right-wing extremist" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, are shaping policy-and-legislation discussions and general news in Germany.