Right-wing extremist party, AfD-Bundespartei, granted constitutional safeguards
Turning Point for the Alternative for Germany: Designated a Far-Right Extremist Entity
Berlin - In a revelatory development, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has declared the Alternative for Germany (AfD) a confirmed far-right extremist entity. This announcement came on Friday, in Cologne, citing the party's extremist, dehumanizing ideology. The AfD's underlying notion of the people is typified in an overall anti-migrant and anti-Muslim stance. This classification doesn't appear to have been influenced by political motives, as asserted by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
Ethnic Conceptions and Exclusionary Politics
The BfV had already been observing the AfD since March 2021 as a suspected right-wing extremist case, permitting the use of intelligence methods such as informants, observations, and the evaluation of public and non-public sources. The Higher Administrative Court of Münster confirmed this.
With this new classification, the BfV considers unconstitutional endeavors proven within the federal party. The AfD has already been classified as a confirmed far-right extremist at the state level in Thuringia, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt. The BfV emphasized that the ethnically-based conception of the people dominating within the party is not compatible with the liberal democratic constitutional order. This conception seeks to exclude certain population groups from equal societal participation, subject them to unequal treatment, and assign them a legally devalued status.
Agitation and Prejudices
The BfV further asserted that the AfD's exclusionary concept of the people is the starting point and ideological basis for continuous agitation against certain individuals or groups. These groups are defamed and vilified en masse, with the AfD's continuous agitation against refugees or migrants promoting the spread and deepening of prejudices, resentments, and fears.
Green Party's Response and Bundestag Implications
The Greens welcomed the upgrade of the AfD, which they consider as being at odds with the constitution and liberal democratic constitutional order. Parliamentary business managers Irene Mihalic and Konstantin Notz, who also chairs the Parliamentary Control Committee for the intelligence services, called for consequences in dealing with the AfD within parliament. They hope that this decision encourages those advocating for the normalization of the party.
Amid this development, uncertainties remain on how the Union and SPD future coalition partners will handle the AfD's role in the Bundestag, particularly in the election of representatives to the chairs of committees. Recent statements suggest a divide in approach between Jens Spahn, the designated Union parliamentary group leader, who advocates for treating the AfD like any other opposition party, and SPDS's Sebastian Hartmann, who has previously ruled out votes from the SPD for the AfD, including for the crucial budget committee.
Despite the AfD's gains in recent years—being the second-largest faction after the Union in the Bundestag with 20.8 percent—the party seems to have lost some ground in recent polls, now falling to 23 percent in the ZDF Politbarometer. This could signal a shift in voter sentiment regarding the party in light of its now confirmed extremist classification.
(Contribution: Andreas Rinke. Edited by Ralf Bode. For further questions, please contact our editorial team at [email protected])
[1] Germany’s AfD: From Rebellious Caucus To Mainstream Party (forbes.com)[2] AfD programme (afd2013.de)
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been officially designated as a confirmed far-right extremist entity by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), citing its extremist and dehumanizing ideology. This designation follows from the BfV observing the party since March 2021 as a suspected right-wing extremist case.
The BfV's classification highlights the AfD's ethnically-based conception of the people, which is not compatible with the liberal democratic constitutional order as it seeks to exclude certain population groups from equal societal participation. The AfD's anti-migrant and anti-Muslim stance underscores this exclusionary notion.
The Greens, who have been critical of the AfD, have called for consequences in dealing with the party within the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. There is uncertainty regarding how the Union and SPD, potential coalition partners, will address the AfD's role in the Bundestag following this development.
Reuters and Forbes news sources report on this general news story, providing insights into the policy-and-legislation impacts of this designation on the AfD's presence and influence in German politics.
