Following an audit by the BfV security service, the party is now subject to surveillance, according to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution’s announcement on Friday. It might also bring up the possibility of banning the AfD, which has gained popularity in recent years and finished second in the general election in February.
Due to its attempts to “undermine the free, democratic” order in Germany, the BfV, which had already labeled several local AfD chapters as extremist, made the decision to label the entire organization.
Leading party officials continue to make numerous xenophobic, anti-minority, anti-Islamic, and anti-Muslim statements, the statement continued.
The AfD, which is currently leading several opinion polls and has capitalized on growing anti-immigration sentiment in the wake of the nation’s economic slowdown, denounced the designation as “clearly politically motivated.”
Friedrich Merz, the conservative CDU leader, is scheduled to take the oath of office as Germany’s new chancellor just days before the appointment.
The party, which has signed a coalition deal with the left-leaning Social Democrats, is debating how to handle the AfD in the new parliament.
The classification will make it easier for the authorities to monitor the AfD, including by intercepting communications.
It might also rekindle attempts to ban the AfD.
German Social Democrats’ current chancellor Olaf Scholz stated on Friday that he opposes rushing to outlaw the AfD, adding that it needs to be evaluated “carefully.”
The BfV has long been investigating the radical right-wing party because of its connections to Russia and its extremist connections.
More than 10,000 of the 38,800 far-right extremists counted by the organization last year are members.
Several AfD factions, including three regional parties in the east of the nation and its youth wing, were already categorized as extremists.
In 2021, the entire organization was labeled as a alleged extremist case. The national party’s entire designation has now been officially recognized by the security services.
The classification, according to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, was “clear and unambiguous” and the result of a 1,100-page “comprehensive and neutral audit” without any political influence.
Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, AfD’s co-leaders, claimed in a statement that the organization is “being publicly discredited and criminalized.”
Source: Aljazeera
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