Brandenburg's Constitutional Protection Office Designates AfD as Far-Right Extremist Endeavor
Classifies the AfD as undeniably extreme right in Brandenburg's internal assessment - Right-wing extremist party AfD granted constitutional security status in Brandenburg, classified as a safe entity.
The Brandenburg Constitutional Protection Office has classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a confirmed far-right extremist endeavor, igniting a heated debate over potential AfD ban in Germany.
In a surprise move, this classification follows a multi-year investigation by the office. The decision was officially announced in early May 2025, and it now makes the AfD a confirmed far-right extremist organization in four federal states and at the federal level.
The AfD in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia also received similar designations in their respective states. However, several legal challenges from the party's state associations have proven unsuccessful. The AfD, in protest, has already filed a lawsuit against the federal-level decision.
Criticizing the decision as "political arbitrariness," state chairman René Springer of AfD Brandenburg has demanded full transparency and the disclosure of all alleged evidence that led to the classification. The AfD remains resilient and unintimidated in the face of such accusations.
Previously the second-largest faction in the Brandenburg state parliament, the AfD narrowly trailed the victorious Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the state election last September. Currently, a coalition of SPD and BSW governs Brandenburg under Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD). Apart from the AfD, only the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is represented in the state parliament.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Katrin Lange of Potsdam has relieved state office head Jörg Müller of his duties due to a strained relationship of trust. No further details were provided, but the delayed information regarding the upgrade of the AfD from a suspected case to a confirmed far-right extremist endeavor is believed to be the reason behind Müller's dismissal.
Despite the state government's refusal to publish further information about the reasons for the classification of the Brandenburg AfD, previous similar cases showed a focus on a "folk understanding" based on ethnic origin, granting certain population groups, including migrants, a legally devalued status.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the German domestic intelligence agency, monitors democratic and constitutional adversaries, including suspected cases that may align with the core principles of extremist organizations. If evidence is sufficient, these organizations may be classified as confirmed extremist and made public. With this designation, the CDU, SPD, and other opposition parties are pressuring for political challenges against the AfD.
- AfD
- Constitutional Protection Office
- Brandenburg
- Katrin Lange
- SPD
- Potsdam
- Jörg Müller
- Classification
- CDU
- Saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Thuringia
- René Springer
- State Election
Enrichment Insights:The AfD's classification as a far-right extremist organization stems from the party's xenophobic and discriminatory stance towards non-ethnic Germans and people with migration backgrounds from Muslim-influenced countries. The three-year investigation by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution included scrutiny of statements by AfD representatives, the party's overall behavior, and its connections to right-wing extremist groups. The BfV concluded that the AfD aims to exclude certain population groups from equal participation, subjecting them to unconstitutional unequal treatment and effectively assigning them a legally devalued status, posing a threat to democracy and the constitutional order in Germany.
The AfD's designation as a far-right extremist endeavor by the Brandenburg Constitutional Protection Office has reignited a political discourse over a potential AfD ban in Germany. State chairman René Springer of AfD Brandenburg criticized the decision as "political arbitrariness" and demands transparency, urging the disclosure of the alleged evidence. Katrin Lange, Interior Minister of Potsdam, dismissed the state office head Jörg Müller due to a strained relationship of trust, with the delayed information about the AfD's classification being a possible reason.
Similarly, the AfD in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia have also received far-right extremist designations in their respective states. The AfD, despite the designations, remained resilient and unintimidated in the face of such accusations. The coalition of SPD and BSW governs Brandenburg, while only the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is represented in the state parliament alongside the AfD.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the German domestic intelligence agency, monitors such cases and, if sufficient evidence is found, classifies organizations as confirmed extremist and makes it public. This designation has prompted political challenges against the AfD from the CDU, SPD, and other opposition parties. Previous cases similar to this have shown a focus on a "folk understanding" based on ethnic origin, granting certain population groups, including migrants, a legally devalued status.
