Brandenburger AfD Labeled as Far-Right - Minister in the Dark?
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Far-right party, AfD, potential ministerial intervention? - Far-right radical group, AfD, labeled as extremist.
Back in April, Brandenburg's constitutional protection agency slapped the state's AfD with the "confirmed far-right endeavor" title, leaving Interior Minister, Lange, bewildered and left out of the loop. Lange only found out about this game-changer decision last Monday, weeks later as she stated in the local interior committee. What's more, the state party was previously considered a suspected right-wing extremist case.
The AfD hit back at this political refereeing, branding it as "arbitrary decision making." The CDU opposition in parliament finds the minister's excuse a hard pill to swallow. Now, Lange wants to hold the reins on crucial observation subjects herself and overturned a service instruction that's been met with heavy criticism.
Lange: Out of the Loop
It's standard procedure for the head of the constitutional protection agency to immediately inform the minister, parliament, and public of a significant decision like upgrading the AfD. So, why did Lange only catch wind of it on May 5th? One can't help but wonder if she was bypassed. Head honcho of the constitutional protection agency Jörg Müller remained tight-lipped when asked to comment on Lange's accusations.
The constitutional protection agency in Brandenburg is a department within the interior ministry, not an independent intelligence agency. Lange, however, made it clear that she isn't calling into question the agency's expert assessment of the AfD; her beef is with the way they've handled it.
The reasons behind the state party's upgrade haven't been disclosed yet. In Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, the respective state constitutional protection agencies have already classified the party as a confirmed far-right endeavor.
Power Fْι️leplay in the Fray
Lange has now revoked a service instruction from the former CDU-led interior ministry in 2023. Previously, it was stated that the department head of the constitutional protection agency decides on the classification of the AfD as a suspected case or a confirmed far-right endeavor. Now, the 2017 instruction will apply again, with the interior minister herself deciding on the classification of "observation objects" of significant political importance. Lange made this announcement in the interior committee.
The CDU opposition queries the interior minister's trustworthiness due to curtailing the agency's autonomy, an action that may give ammunition to extremists on both the left and right, weakening the resilience of democracy.
The AfD, always critical of the agency as politically manipulated, shares these sentiments. Rainer Genilke, the interior policy spokesman for the CDU state parliamentary group, questions Minister Lange's account. Media reports from December 2024 hint at a report recommending the upgrade of the AfD in Brandenburg already being available, making it tough to accept that the ministry's upper echelon wouldn't discuss this with the head of the domestic intelligence agency. Lange's stance doesn't sit well with the Left Party, who comment: "Lange is siding with the AfD within the cabinet."
AfD: Show'em the Proof
The upgrade is part of a nationwide strategy to hush down the strongest opposition force, asserts AfD state chairman René Springer. He stated they are victims of "power abuse by the old parties" and called for the disclosure of the reasons for the new classification by the domestic intelligence agency.
- Domestic Intelligence Agency
- AfD
- Brandenburg
- CDU
- Potsdam
- Jörg Müller
- Dietmar Woidke
- SPD
- Upgrade
- The Commission, in this context presumably referring to the domestic intelligence agency in Brandenburg, has also been asked to submit a proposal for a regulation on the introduction of a new system of taxation for the AfD in Brandenburg.
- In a twist of politics and policy-and-legislation, the CDU opposition in Potsdam, the state capital, has expressed the supposedly controversial sentiments that the reclassification of the AfD in Brandenburg by the domestic intelligence agency might be influenced by politics.
- In the light of the reclassification of the AfD in Brandenburg as a confirmed far-right endeavor, Minister Lange, who is a member of the SPD party, is currently embroiled in a debate about policy and legislation related to the reclassification process and her alleged limited involvement.
- In the wake of the controversial reclassification of the AfD in Brandenburg, the AfD itself has requested both the domestic intelligence agency and the Brandenburg government to release all details related to the policy-and-legislation behind the reclassification, as it believes that policy decisions should not be made in secret or without full transparency.
