The AfD wants to take legal action against the review by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. "We both consider this decision wrong," said Alexander Gauland, head of the Bundestag faction, in a joint statement with co-chairwoman Alice Weidel. It will proceed against the decision of the intelligence service to declare the entire party to the test case. He and Weidel believe that "some political pressure" led to the Authority's decision.
Weidel said that with the former Chief of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen, such a decision of the authority would not have been possible. "That's why he had to go."
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution takes action when threats to the free-democratic basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany threaten. Statements of individual AfD officials would provide clues for extremist aspirations, said intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang in Berlin.
The domestic intelligence service classifies the entire party as a so-called test case and will continue the systematic analysis of publicly accessible writings and statements. In contrast, the junior organization "Junge Alternative" (JA) and the collection movement "The Wing" by Björn Höcke would in future be classified as suspected cases. In this case, information may also be collected by means of intelligence, such as surveillance, and personal files may be created and stored at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Greens praise decision of the constitution protection
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) supported the decision of the constitution protection. "We have also assessed this extensive study ourselves, which we consider plausible, and that is why I support these decisions by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution," Seehofer said before a meeting of the Union faction in Berlin. At the same time he emphasized that it was not about a political, but a technical decision of the constitution protection.
The Greens welcomed the decision of the constitution protection to take a closer look at AfD than before. "This examination is correct and necessary." The initiative shows that the Federal Constitutional Protection sees that from the party and their networks can pose a potential danger, "said Group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt. "We need to know who wants to question our democracy."
Also SPD interior expert Burkhard Lischka welcomed according to editorial network Germany, the decision of the BfV. "This is a very good sign that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is acting on its behalf under its new President Thomas Haldenwang," he said. "In my view, the step of observation is also inevitable: large parts of the AfD are in a stormy radicalization process."
FDP leader Christian Lindner warned the German parties davo to be pleased about the possible observation of the AfD. "It should not give the impression that the parties get rid of an annoying competition via the detour via the security authorities," he said. The political debate with the AfD must take place in content. For example, the party's pension concept or efforts to change the European Union must be criticized. But he trusted the assessment of the security authorities. "I am against every sacrificial and martyr cult in the AfD," he said to the AfD's dealings with the debate.
Video: How right is the AfD?
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