Scathing Report: Office for the Protection of the Constitution's Damning Verdict on the AfD
- Approx. - 3 Min Read
Uncovered AFD Document: Insight into Constitutional Protection Office's perspective on the AFD party revealed. - Leaked reports on AfD reveal insights from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution regarding the Alternative for Germany party.
Ever since its inception, the AfD has been under the microscope. Now, the whole party stands labeled as undeniably right-wing extremist – a title once held by only four state associations. Over the years, the authorities have accrued enough evidence: derogatory remarks and positions from the party and its members, anti-democratic efforts, and a concerning view of the population. This is the grim assessment crafted by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence service, in its 1108-page report on the country's largest opposition party.
In May, the BfV proclaimed the federal party unconstitutional, but the report went unnoticed until it was leaked to the public through platforms like "Ask the State" and "Der Spiegel," revealing excerpts from the document. The analysis delves into accessible sources such as speeches, interviews, and contributions from 353 party members, including party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, and Bundestag member Maximilian Krah. They are labeled as having anti-democratic, anti-foreigner, and anti-Islamic positions. In its summary, the BfV acknowledges a consolidated "anti-foreigner" attitude in the AfD's top leadership.
The party leadership reacted with indignation, labeling the move a misuse of state power to combat and silence the opposition. The AfD has since sued the BfV for the upgrade to right-wing extremist.
Racist Remarks and Policies of the AfD
Since 2021, the BfV has labeled the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist. The report portrays a party that has trended more and more to the right over the years. Liberal-conservative faction members have gradually departed the party. The BfV has observed a radicalization, particularly since 2023, and no signs of moderation. The völkisch-nationalist faction dominates, according to the assessment.
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Functionaries within the party distinguish between "real" Germans and "passport Germans." People with a migration history are deemed as second-class citizens by the party. The report furnishes evidence of this through racist, xenophobic, and völkisch statements from AfD members.
For instance, Hannes Gnauck, former chairman of the AfD's youth organization "Young Alternative," made inflammatory remarks at a campaign event in Brandenburg last August. He proclaimed, "We must once again decide who truly belongs to this nation; each of you carries more in common with me than any Syrian or any Afghan." These sentiments, he continued, are "nothing more than a law of nature, and we should all be proud of it." Gnauck also used the term "population exchange" in other speeches.
The AfD and Islam
In the "Islamophobia" chapter, the BfV recounts an interview between Alice Weidel and a YouTube channel at the end of 2023, where she made negative statements about Muslims. Weidel stated that Germany had inadvertently created a "massive socio-political issue" thanks to the influx of culturally diverse peoples, which goes against "our liberal democratic constitutional order."
Weidel escalated her anti-Muslim rhetoric during a campaign speech for the Brandenburg state election in September, falsely accusing Muslims of waging an aggressive "jihad" against non-Muslims in Germany.
Weidel's remarks about immigrant crime included, "These are phenomena – the knife attacks, the rapes – that are entirely new to our country." She alleged, "What we're experiencing on German streets is jihad. A religious war against the German population is already underway."
Terms like "knife migration," "knife immigration," "knife jihad," "over-foreignization," or the controversial term "re-migration" aren't isolated incidents but a recurring narrative within the AfD, according to constitutional experts.
Undermining Democracy
Yet, the party isn't only targeting minorities and immigrants. The BfV accuses its members of also undermining the democratic principles enshrined in the Basic Law. The report cites remarks from AfD politicians who have branded politicians from other parties as "traitors to the people."
During a demonstration in Nuremberg in April 2023, co-party leader Chrupalla insulted CDU politicians Friedrich Merz and Norbert Röttgen, as well as then-Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) as "American puppets." AfD MEP Maximilian Krah replied to a statement by Green politician Katrin Göring-Eckardt on migration policy with, "This Green master plan means ethnic replacement."
Not all critical political maneuvers warrant the attention of the BfV, the agency concedes. However, it becomes significant when political opponents' legitimacy is questioned.
AfD Ban Procedure Debate
The labeling of the AfD as a confirmed right-wing extremist in Germany has rekindled the ongoing debate about banning the party. The new federal government has yet to issue a final ruling. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has emphasized that the report from the BfV must first be scrutinized before any political evaluation. "Before such an evaluation is made, I personally do not wish to advise the government on any further conclusions regarding the ban," Merz insisted.
After the BfV's classification of the AfD, the Chancellor has categorically opposed the election of AfD members to committee chairs in the Bundestag. "Since last weekend, it's incomprehensible for me that members of the German Bundestag would select AfD members for committee leadership positions."
- AfD
- Alice Weidel
- Tino Chrupalla
- Maximilian Krah
- Hannes Gnauck
- Muslims
Enrichment Data:
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) in Germany has formally declared the Alternative for Germany (AfD) a right-wing extremist organization. This decision is based on the party's perceived threat to democracy and its anti-foreigner and anti-Islamic ideologies. The BfV identifies the AfD's xenophobic positions, particularly their discriminatory treatment of non-ethnic Germans and those with a Muslim migration background, as reasons for the classification[1][2][3].
Key points from the BfV's assessment include:
- Anti-Democratic Positions: The AfD poses a threat to Germany's democratic system by infringing on fundamental constitutional principles, such as human dignity, the rule of law, and popular sovereignty[1].
- Anti-Foreigner Stances: By discriminating against non-ethnic Germans, the AfD challenges the fundamental equal rights and freedoms for all citizens as mandated by the German Constitution[2].
- Anti-Islamic Positions: The AfD's persistent anti-Muslim rhetoric negates the equal protection and integration of people with a migration history from Muslim-influenced countries[2][3].
The repercussions of this classification extend beyond legal implications for the party, significantly impacting its political influence in Germany[3].
- The Commission has not yet adopted a proposal for a directive on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, but the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany has been labeled as a right-wing extremist organization by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).
- Der Spiegel and other platforms have leaked excerpts from the BfV's 1108-page report on the AfD, revealing that the party's leaders Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, and Maximilian Krah, along with 353 other members, have anti-democratic, anti-foreigner, and anti-Islamic positions.
- In its summary, the BfV acknowledges a consolidated "anti-foreigner" attitude in the AfD's top leadership, and the report also contains evidence of racist, xenophobic, and völkisch statements from AfD members.
- The AfD has reacted with indignation, labeling the move a misuse of state power to combat and silence the opposition, and the party has since sued the BfV for the upgrade to right-wing extremist.
- The BfV's assessment identifies the AfD's xenophobic positions, particularly their discriminatory treatment of non-ethnic Germans and those with a Muslim migration background, as reasons for the classification, as well as anti-democratic efforts and a concerning view of the population.
