Germany’s intelligence agency has put its “extremist” label for the AfD party on hold due to legal challenges and public criticism.
Pending a legal appeal, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has paused its classification of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” group.
The BfV retracted the designation on Thursday, removing the corresponding press release from its official website.
The classification, announced the previous week, cited a detailed report alleging the AfD’s promotion of policies that exclude people with immigrant backgrounds, especially Muslims, from fully participating in society. The BfV asserted that the party “disregards human dignity” and uses phrases like “knife-wielding migrants” to wrongly associate violent tendencies with non-European ethnic groups.
The AfD leadership denounced the move as “a severe blow to German democracy” and filed a lawsuit in a Cologne court, claiming the classification was politically driven and lacked sufficient proof. Consequently, the BfV temporarily withdrew the classification but stated it would continue to monitor the party as a “suspected case” of extremism.
The now-suspended designation would have granted the BfV extensive surveillance powers over the AfD’s activities. The “suspected case” designation still allows surveillance, but with greater judicial oversight.
AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla hailed the temporary suspension as “a first important step” towards “countering the accusation of right-wing extremism.”
The “extremist” label faced skepticism from numerous German politicians. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz and incoming Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had cautioned against banning the AfD. Dobrindt advocated for diminishing the party’s influence through effective governance rather than resorting to drastic measures.
He also emphasized the need to understand the reasons behind the AfD’s rise, citing recent polls that positioned it as Germany’s most popular party, with 26% support.
The AfD’s rise is frequently attributed to public dissatisfaction with mainstream parties’ immigration policies, coupled with economic difficulties and a perception of government ineffectiveness.
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