Unveiling the AfD's Concerns Over Alleged Secrecy in the Constitutional Protection
In the recent 2022 state election, the Schleswig-Holstein regional branch of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) failed to secure a seat in the state parliament. Despite this setback, the AfD remains optimistic about forming a faction again after the next state election.
The AfD as a whole has been under significant scrutiny, with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classifying the party as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavour" in May 2025. This classification has led to calls for banning the party and potential limitations on public funding. The AfD has contested this classification, claiming it is politically motivated and has sued the BfV, accusing it of violating the German constitution by attempting to prosecute the party for its views.
The legal dispute regarding this classification is ongoing. Locally, the state office for the protection of the constitution in Schleswig-Holstein has not publicly communicated its stance on this clear classification. However, the current state constitutional protection report mentions the AfD a total of 27 times, but there is no separate section on the AfD.
One event that raised concerns was the "Day of the Forefield" meeting, organised by Kevin Dorow, deputy chairman of the AfD's Schleswig-Holstein regional board. The meeting, which took place at a Bürgerhaus in Henstedt-Ulzburg, was attended by a group of right-wing extremist authors, media, publishers, and associations. During the meeting, Dorow criticised the "leftist-ridden BRD" and promised follow-up events.
At the conference, AfD members voted to adopt a resolution calling for a "fundamental reform" and "depoliticization" of the state office for the protection of the constitution. The conference was attended by around 190 party members, while approximately 800 protesters and Ralf Stegner, a federal MP from Schleswig-Holstein, gathered outside.
The regional chairman, Kurt Kleinschmidt, promised talks with the CDU if the AfD enters the state parliament with double-digit numbers. The contacts and positions mentioned in the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution report have not led to the observation of the state office for the protection of the constitution in Kiel.
It is worth noting that the "Day of the Forefield" meeting is cited by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as evidence of the "right-wing extremist" orientation of the AfD. The federal MP Gereon Bollmann from Schleswig-Holstein is also mentioned in the 1,100-page report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, speaking of an international program aimed at "secretly, silently" "de-Germanizing" Germany.
As the legal dispute regarding the classification of the AfD continues, the public awaits further developments and clarification from the Schleswig-Holstein regional branch of the party.
- The AfD's classification as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavour" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has sparked debates in the sphere of politics and policy-and-legislation, with calls for banning the party and potential limitations on public funding.
- The ongoing legal dispute, involving the AfD suing the BfV for allegedly violating the German constitution by attempting to prosecute the party for its views, falls under the category of crime-and-justice and general-news.
- In the midst of this controversy, the AfD's Schleswig-Holstein regional branch, despite failing to secure a seat in the state parliament, has expressed optimism about forming a faction in the future and has taken steps to reform the state office for the protection of the constitution, as seen in their resolution at the "Day of the Forefield" meeting.
