The interior minister's stance on AfD, despite increased right-wing extremism in Germany, remains unchanged
Right-wing party, AfD, largely embodies Germany's extreme right sector.
In the latest report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany has surpassed 50,000 right-wing extremists for the first time, with a significant increase in the last ten years. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt expressed shock at this finding while presenting the report.
Of the more than 50,250 right-wing extremists, around 20,000 are affiliated with the AfD, making it the party with the most right-wing extremists. This represents a substantial increase compared to 2023, when only 11,300 right-wing extremists were affiliated with the AfD. However, Dobrindt continues to reject the idea of initiating a ban procedure for the AfD.
According to the BfV, approximately 8,500 right-wing extremists operate outside of organized parties, while 18,000 right-wing extremists exist as largely unstructured potential. The AfD serves as a crucial bridge or "hinge function" in the spread of right-wing extremism, picking up topics and making them mainstream.
Regarding a ban procedure, Dobrindt remains skeptical, stating that the AfD is "secured right-wing extremist," but he recommends "political confrontation" and "regulation" to address the issue from the center. This classification of the AfD as a "secured right-wing extremist" is based on a thorough, though unpublished, expert opinion by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The BfV's report also highlights an increasing trend of young people being radicalized quickly online. This presents a challenge for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution due to the speed at which radicalization occurs. Disposable agents, believed to be under the influence of Russian state institutions, are seen as a significant part of the new threat due to their involvement in cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns.
- Politics "ntv Fact Check" - How right-wing extremist is the AfD really?
- Constitutional Protection Report
- Constitutional Protection
- Alexander Dobrindt
- AfD
- Right-Wing Extremism
- Online Radicalization
- Disposable Agents
- Russia
- Cybercrime
source:
[1] The Local Germany, "Germany hits 50,000 right-wing extremists, of whom more than 20,000 are AfD supporters, report finds," June 15, 2025.[2] Deutsche Welle, "German interior minister: Still no AfD ban, but more legal scrutiny," June 16, 2025.[3] NPR, "Germany's far-right party AfD, seen as extremist by domestic intelligence, faces uncertainty," June 17, 2025.[4] Focus, "AfD classified as right-wing extremist party by German intelligence agency," May 3, 2025.
- Despite the significant increase in right-wing extremism in Germany, as revealed in the Constitutional Protection Report, the stance of Alexander Dobrindt, the interior minister, on the AfD remains unchanged, with no initiating of a ban procedure for the party.
- In light of the growing number of young people being radicalized online and the involvement of disposable agents, suspected to be influenced by Russian state institutions, in cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns, the issue of right-wing extremism in politics remains a general-news topic worthy of further investigation and discussion, as demonstrated by the "ntv Fact Check" series.
