FILE - A man stands in front of the logo at the AfD party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after the German national election. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
FILE - A man stands in front of the logo at the AfD party headquarters in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after the German national election. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)
BERLIN (AP) — The German domestic intelligence service said Friday it has classified the Alternative for Germany party, which placed second in national elections in February, as a “right-wing extremist" organization — making it subject to greater and broader surveillance of its activities.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution described the party, known as AfD, as a threat to the country's democratic order, saying it “disregards human dignity†— in particular by what it called “ongoing agitation†against refugees and migrants.
Germany’s move to classify the AfD as a right-wing extremist group means its officials can now use informants and other tools such as audio and video recordings to monitor its activities nationwide. But it also risks fueling the party’s claims of political persecution. Far-right parties have been gaining ground across Europe and the AfD attracts international attention, including support from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is a close ally of President Donald Trump.
Party leaders Alice Weidel — who met with after the February elections — and Tino Chrupalla condemned the move as “a severe blow to German democracy," given that the party has grown into one of the country's most popular political forces. They alleged that it was politically motivated, a claim the government denies.
“The AfD will continue to legally defend itself against these democracy-endangering defamations,†they said.
AfD was formed in 2013 and has moved steadily to the right over the years. Its platform initially centered on opposition to bailouts for struggling eurozone members, but its vehement opposition to then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to allow large numbers of refugees into Germany in 2015 established the party as a significant political force.
The state domestic intelligence offices in Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt had already classified the respective AfD state associations as “proven right-wing extremist†groups.
In its ruling, the intelligence service said that AfD's understanding of German identity as being based on ethnicity is “incompatible with the free democratic basic order.â€
“It aims to exclude certain population groups from equal participation in society, subject them to unconstitutional discrimination, and thus assign them a legally devalued status,†it said. “Specifically, for example, the AfD does not consider German citizens with a migration history from predominantly Muslim countries to be equal members of the German people, as defined ethnically by the party.â€
It added that the party’s political positions have underpinned “continuous agitation†against minorities and stirred fear and hostility toward them.
“This is evident in the numerous xenophobic, anti-minority, anti-Islamic, and anti-Muslim statements continually made by leading party officials,†it said.
The party had already come under scrutiny from the BfV for its links to extremists and its ties to Russia. Of the 38,800 far-right extremists counted by the agency last year, more than 10,000 are members of the party.
Nancy Faeser, the interior minister, said in a statement that the classification was “clear and unambiguous†and had resulted from a 1,100-page “comprehensive and neutral audit†that had no political influence.
Under the move, any surveillance of AfD activities must abide by a “principle of proportionality†under German law.
The measure does not amount to a ban of the party, which can only take place through a request by either of parliament's two chambers or the federal government through the Federal Constitutional Court.
___
Keaten reported from Geneva. Vanessa Gera contributed from Rome.
