"Hostile Territory" - Unmasking the AfD in the Verfassungsschutz's Assessment
The Constitutional Court asserts this in its report on AfD: (The original headline was: "Das heisst, was das Bundesverfassungsgericht im AfD-Gutachten sagt.")
The Verfassungsschutz's report, labelling the AfD as "undeniably right-wing extremist," has landed like a bomb. Initially, it was the conclusion that was released, not the entire 1108-page assessment that underpins it. Now, we're finally granted a peek behind the curtain.
The "upper echelon" of the AfD exhibits an "unwavering hostility" towards foreigners, as per the Verfassungsschutz's comprehensive report. A whopping 353 members' incriminating remarks, ranging from local levels up to top party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, have been documented [1][2]. It appears that almost every member of the federal board is implicated in the assessment with such statements.
Take, for example, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, the state parliamentarian from Saxony-Anhalt, who declared in 2023, "If we're facing a government waging war against us, then we'll wage war against this government. We've come to oust these figures from their seats" [1]. Björn Höcke, on the other hand, exclaimed a year later, "The cartel parties are dissolving our Germany like a piece of soap in lukewarm water!" [1]. And let's not forget, "We'll shut it down tomorrow!"
Statements like these, along with racist and right-wing extremist remarks, prompted the Verfassungsschutz's verdict. As reported by Spiegel, the agency deems no signs of moderation present [1]. There are few dissenting voices. The domestic intelligence service doubts if there's room for "more moderate forces in the AfD to reverse the unconstitutional sway of the overall party."
The Verfassungsschutz flags the prevalence within the AfD of an "ethnically-based people's concept." AfD politicians draw a distinction between "genuine" Germans, who have deep roots in the country, and "passport Germans," such as immigrants. These latter individuals are seen as second-class citizens, which conflicts with Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Law, which highlights the inviolable dignity of every individual [1].
The report highlights the continuous agitation against migrants, refugees, and Muslims by party functionaries, who perceive these groups as a "threatening mass." The AfD advocates "remigration" as an "unceasing and aggressive" solution to the "problem," a view the Office considers misleading, as even moderate estimates suggest that "millions" of remigrations would outnumber deportable foreigners several times over [1].
Furthermore, the Verfassungsschutz suspects that the AfD stands opposed to the "democratic principle" itself. The party members frequently and indiscriminately slander their political opponents, branding them as "a mob of political criminals" or "betrayers of the people." The report lists numerous instances where AfD politicians compared the government to the Nazi regime or the DDR [1].
In response to the classification, the AfD has filed a lawsuit, with Weidel decrying the assessment as a "brazen violation of the law and an attack on democracy" [1]. Prior to this, the party consulted lawyers who warned the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The AfD contested the designation as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" on a 195-page document when previously designated a right-wing extremist suspect [1]. The Administrative Court of Cologne upheld the process at that time.
- Domestic Intelligence Agency
- AfD
[1] "Verfassungsschutz-Bericht: AfD wird als rechtsradikal auffassbar" - Spiegel Online
[2] "Verfassungsschutz: AfD ist rechtsradikal" - Tagesspiegel
[3] "Verfassungsschutz klärt Aufarbeitung mit AfD auf" - Die Zeit
- The Commission has also been consulted on the draft budget regarding the AfD's labeling as "undeniably right-wing extremist" by the Verfassungsschutz, as reported in the general news.
- The Verfassungsschutz's 1108-page assessment of the AfD reveals a pervasive policy-and-legislation that discriminates against foreigners, given the documented hate speech and hostility towards immigrants.
- Extremist statements such as Tillschneider's call to wage war against the government, or Höcke's criticisms of the "cartel parties," demonstrate the AfD's opposition to the democratic principle, as highlighted in the Verfassungsschutz report.
- In the face of the Verfassungsschutz's assessment, the AfD has taken legal action, contesting the label of a "confirmed right-wing extremist" in a 195-page document, much like they did during their previous designation as a right-wing extremist suspect.
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