Interpreting the analysis of AfD in Brandenburg's context
Brandenburg Classifies AfD as Securely Far-Right Extremist
In a significant development, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) in Brandenburg has classified the local branch of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a "proven right-wing extremist organization". This classification, based on a comprehensive 140-page report, outlines the party's anti-democratic goals and efforts to undermine constitutional institutions.
The report highlights several concerning aspects of the AfD, including its ethnocultural and xenophobic view of the German people, which explicitly excludes certain immigrants and Muslims from the national community. Party officials have also been found to make statements that challenge democratic legitimacy and depict migration in apocalyptic terms aimed at increasing social tensions.
Since 2020, the AfD has intensified its contacts with other right-wing extremist groups, a fact that the report emphasizes. The party's rhetoric and actions are viewed as a direct attack on democracy and the rule of law in Brandenburg.
This classification builds on the federal designation by Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) in May 2025, which labeled the entire AfD as right-wing extremist due to its racist and anti-Muslim ideology incompatible with democratic principles.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister René Wilke presented the report publicly on August 14, 2025. The report's findings have been described as clear by political scientist Jan Thomeczek from the University of Potsdam.
The classification enables intensified surveillance, including informants and communications monitoring, under judicial oversight. However, the AfD in Brandenburg is taking legal action against this classification.
This move by Brandenburg comes as several other federal states are calling for stricter checks on civil servants. The report states that the AfD violates human dignity and wants to destroy the democratic state with its institutions. The public release of the report was prompted by internal party disputes over how to deal with the party and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, leading to the resignation of the SPD interior minister Katrin Lange.
In Thuringia, a parliamentary inquiry committee is dealing with the party's classification, but the AfD is not taking legal action against this classification. In Saxony-Anhalt, the legal challenge against the AfD's classification as 'securely right-wing extremist' is still pending and has not been decided. The AfD was unsuccessful in Saxony before the Higher Administrative Court in Bautzen.
The new classification of the AfD is sparking discussions about how to deal with its members in the civil service, and it is also causing a stir within the party itself. Political scientist Jan Thomeczek estimates that no significant turnaround is expected among AfD supporters due to the new classification.
References: [1] Brandenburg classifies AfD as 'proven far-right extremist' [2] Brandenburg AfD Classified as Far-Right Extremist by Intelligence Agency [3] Brandenburg AfD classified as right-wing extremist by intelligence agency [4] Brandenburg AfD: Intelligence agency classifies party as far-right extremist
- The report, based on a comprehensive analysis, includes the AfD's involvement in both general-news and crime-and-justice matters, as it highlights their associations with other right-wing extremist groups.
- The classification of the AfD as a proven right-wing extremist organization in Brandenburg has significant implications for politics, as it could potentially impact the party's connections and influence in various areas, including general-news and crime-and-justice sectors.
