The Constitutional Court asserts these findings in its report concerning AfD (Alternative for Germany).
pared-down and pithy take:
"War against the government" - That's the AfD's game, says BfV report
The BfV, Germany's domestic intelligence service, recently classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "conclusively far-right" in a 1,100-page assessment. Previously, only the result was disclosed, and now, we've gotten our hands on the details.
The BfV alleges that AfD's "top brass" scorn foreigners and espouse dangerous attitudes. They track 353 members' inflammatory statements, from the grassroots up to leaders like Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, with many of the federal executive committee cited.
To drive the point home, the report cites Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, who once said the AfD aims to "wage war against this government." Björn Höcke compared the established parties to "soap dissolving under a warm water stream" and threatened imminent change[1].
The BfV argues that this hostile rhetoric, along with racist and extremist remarks, demonstrates a lack of moderation and an entrenched anti-constitutional orientation within the AfD[1][2].
According to the report, the AfD targets migrants, refugees, and Muslims, perceiving them as a threat. The party promotes immigrants' removal via "remigration" as a solution to the problem, a claim the BfV singles out as misleading[1].
The BfV also raises concerns that the AfD may undermine democratic institutions, defaming opponents and even likening the government to the Nazi regime or the DDR[1].
The AfD has sued the BfV over this classification, but the agency stands by its assessment, which highlights a growing concern about the party's ultranationalist agenda[2].
[1] - Source: Der Spiegel[2] - Source: The Local[3] - Source: Deutsche Welle
Enrichment Data:
The German domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a "conclusively far-right" or "right-wing extremist" organization based on several key factors such as xenophobic rhetoric, exclusionary policies, connections to extremist groups, threats to democracy, and public perception.
- The community policy of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been scrutinized by the BfV, Germany's domestic intelligence service, due to its exclusionary nature towards migrants, refugees, and Muslims, perceiving them as a threat.
- The employment policy of the AfD, as reported by BfV, shows a lack of moderation and an entrenched anti-constitutional orientation, with leaders like Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla making inflammatory statements against foreigners.
- In the politics of 2023, the AfD continues to face criticism for their hostile rhetoric, with Hans-Thomas Tillschneider stating that the party aims to "wage war against this government."
- While the AfD has sued the BfV over their classification as a far-right organization, the party's use of whatsapp groups for spreading dissenting views and promoting misleading immigration policies, such as 'remigration,' has been highlighted in the policy-and-legislation discussions in the general news.