The domestic intelligence agency steps back from labeling the AfD a confirmed extremist group — just days after making the explosive claim.
BERLIN — Germany’s domestic intelligence service has withdrawn its newly announced classification of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a confirmed extremist organization — at least temporarily.
Just six days after the agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, also known as the BfV, said it had gathered “definitive evidence” that the AfD seeks to undermine Germany’s democratic order, the BfV told an administrative court in Cologne that it will suspend the classification while legal proceedings are ongoing.
The BfV will now monitor the party only as a “suspected case,” a lower-tier designation that still allows surveillance, but under stricter judicial oversight.
The dramatic reversal comes after the AfD launched an urgent legal challenge, accusing the outgoing government of launching a politically motivated smear campaign days before leaving office. In its court filing, the BfV offered no explanation for the sudden shift.
The agency’s original decision — based on a reported 1,000-page internal analysis — marked a historic first: Never before had a party with full representation in the Bundestag been formally labeled a confirmed right-wing extremist organization. That designation would have enabled the BfV to step up surveillance, including the use of informants.
Asked for comment on the court filing, a BfV spokesperson declined to respond to POLITICO’s request.
The backpedal is likely to intensify the political debate over whether the AfD, now leading national polls, should face a formal ban. The AfD, for its part, continues to frame the classification as an attempt to discredit the party ahead of the government reshuffle. “We will keep fighting this in court,” party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said.
www.politico.eu
BERLIN — Germany’s domestic intelligence service has withdrawn its newly announced classification of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a confirmed extremist organization — at least temporarily.
Just six days after the agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, also known as the BfV, said it had gathered “definitive evidence” that the AfD seeks to undermine Germany’s democratic order, the BfV told an administrative court in Cologne that it will suspend the classification while legal proceedings are ongoing.
The BfV will now monitor the party only as a “suspected case,” a lower-tier designation that still allows surveillance, but under stricter judicial oversight.
The dramatic reversal comes after the AfD launched an urgent legal challenge, accusing the outgoing government of launching a politically motivated smear campaign days before leaving office. In its court filing, the BfV offered no explanation for the sudden shift.
The agency’s original decision — based on a reported 1,000-page internal analysis — marked a historic first: Never before had a party with full representation in the Bundestag been formally labeled a confirmed right-wing extremist organization. That designation would have enabled the BfV to step up surveillance, including the use of informants.
Asked for comment on the court filing, a BfV spokesperson declined to respond to POLITICO’s request.
The backpedal is likely to intensify the political debate over whether the AfD, now leading national polls, should face a formal ban. The AfD, for its part, continues to frame the classification as an attempt to discredit the party ahead of the government reshuffle. “We will keep fighting this in court,” party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said.
Germany’s spy agency walks back extremist label for AfD
The domestic intelligence agency steps back from labeling the AfD a confirmed extremist group — just days after making the explosive claim.
www.politico.eu
