Germany has officially classified the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a right-wing extremist organization, warning that it poses a danger to the country’s democracy and constitutional values, reported by Euro News.
On Friday, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BvF), which monitors threats to Germany’s democratic system, announced the decision. The office said AfD’s views, especially its hostility toward immigrants and people of different ethnic backgrounds, go against the country’s core democratic principles.
After three years of careful investigation, which included analyzing the party’s public statements, behavior, and links to extremist groups, the BvF concluded that the AfD promotes unfair treatment and exclusion of people, especially those with roots in Muslim-majority countries. The agency said the party seeks to deny these people equal rights in German society.
The AfD’s co-leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, strongly disagreed with the decision. They called it politically motivated and said it has not been legally finalized. The party plans to fight the classification in court, calling it an attempt to damage their reputation.
Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, however, defended the ruling, saying it was based on a thorough and neutral investigation over 1,100 pages long, without any political bias.
Although some parts of the AfD, like its youth wing, were already considered extremist, this is the first time the entire party has received such a label. Still, this does not mean the AfD is banned from participating in politics. Only the Federal Constitutional Court can ban a political party, and such action is considered unlikely for now.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged careful thought, saying that quick or emotional decisions should be avoided when dealing with political parties and democratic values.
