Unveiling Brandenburg's AfD: A Far-Right Extremist Venture since May '25
Classified as Consistently Right-Wing Since April: State AfD - Far-right political party, German Democratic Party (AfD), officially deemed safe in April classification.
The AfD party in Brandenburg's label as a "hardcore far-right extremist undertaking" is nothing new. The Brandenburg Office of Constitutional Protection slid this judgment under the rug back in April, only to break the news to Interior Minister Katrin Lange (SPD) on May 5 - a staggering three weeks late, she contests. Lange's displeasure was further fueled by the fact that she hadn't been informed about this critical assessment promptly.
On May 20, Lange gave the head of the Office of Constitutional Protection, Jörg Müller, the boot. The trust between them had dissipated, she explained, during a meeting of the Interior Committee of the state parliament in Potsdam. Not only had she been kept in the dark, but the public too had been left in the lurch. "The classification remains," Lange stated, although she hadn't had the chance to read the assessment as of yet.
Previously, the AfD state party in Brandenburg had been labeled as a "suspicious character." In Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, the respective state Office of Constitutional Protection had already branded the party as a hardcore far-right extremist.
Lange Rules Out a Ban Procedure Against AfD
It was only in May '25 that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classified the AfD as a hardcore far-right extremist across Germany. Lange responded to this decision with a dose of skepticism. The AfD, she argued, should be fought through a more substantive, open debate rather than with legal maneuvers, suggesting the possibility of a ban procedure.
Lange also expressed disappointment over the timing of the announcement of the AfD classification, which took place just a few days prior to the formation of the new federal government. Lange has steadfastly refused to entertain the political banhammer against the AfD.
Digging Deeper:
- Reason for classification: Racism, anti-Muslim sentiments, and the blatant display of extremist ideologies and actions were cited as key reasons for the BfV's determination that the AfD is a "hate-fueled, anti-Muslim organization"[1][2][5].
- Date of classification: May 2025[1][5].
- Consequences: The AfD will now be under closer scrutiny via informants and wiretaps. Potential actions include cutting off public funding, restricting or eliminating public service jobs for AfD members, and steps to limit the party's influence. The decision has sparked significant controversy, with AfD leaders deeming it politically motivated and harmful to democracy, while Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasizes the comprehensive justification provided by the BfV and advises against hasty decisions to ban the party[1].
- Given the AfD's label as a "hardcore far-right extremist," the Commission is therefore proposing that the Council should adopt a common position on the proposal for a Council regulation on the introduction of a common system of value added tax, as a part of broader policy-and-legislation measures to combat such extremist politics in general-news.
- Despite the branding of the AfD as a hardcore far-right extremist, Interior Minister Katrin Lange, in defiance of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's decision, argues for a more substantive, open debate and opposes a ban procedure on the party in the realm of politics.
- The proteinction afforded to the AfD by Lange, however, stands in contrast to the actions taken against the party in Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, where they have been branded as hardcore far-right extremist and labeled as such by their respective state Office of Constitutional Protection.
- In light of the AfD's hardcore far-right extremist classification, the debate over the adoption of a common position on a Council regulation for a common system of value added tax becomes a topic of substantial interest as it could potentially be employed as a policy tool for combating extremist politics in Europe.
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