Germany: AfD's most radical wing under surveillance

Text by: RFI Follow

The far-right Alternative party for Germany is now partly under surveillance. Domestic intelligence announced on Thursday (March 12th) that the most radical part of the movement had ideas and objectives that could undermine the democratic order.

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With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibaut

" We know that democracies can fail when they are destroyed by their internal enemies, this is the warning that our story throws at us ." Thomas Haldenwang, don't mince words. For the president of the office of protection of the Constitution, the most radical fringe of the AfD is a movement " extremist of right ".

Called “Der Flügel”, “the wing” in French, this fringe of the Alternative for Germany has gained importance in recent years. It bears witness to the ever-increasing radicalization of the AfD, supported or tolerated by its leaders with a less radical profile.

“Der Flügel” is particularly strong in the eastern part of Germany where the AfD collects its best scores - between 20 and 25%. Its leader Bjorn Höcke has called the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin a " monument of shame " in the past, described Islam as an " occupying power " and often referred to the threat of a major " replacement " of the German population by immigrants.

The position of internal intelligence allows the observation of this fringe of the AfD, telephone tapping, its infiltration by informants. For the party's image, it could be negative, voters being able to distance themselves from a movement perceived as too radical.

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• Germany