German internal intelligence has put the far-right Alternative for Germany party (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) under police surveillance arguing attacks on democratic order, a severe sanction a few months before the general elections, judged " scandalous "by training.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution has placed the Alternative for Germany among the "suspected cases", which allows it to monitor its communications or even introduce informants into its ranks, declared on Wednesday (March 3rd). parliamentary sources to AFP, confirming press reports.

This surveillance will not concern its deputies and its candidates for the forthcoming regional or national elections.

The decision, taken at the end of last week according to the online edition of the magazine Der Spiegel but which only filtered on Wednesday, is very sensitive to seven months of the legislative elections of September 26.

An infamy generally reserved for ultra-radical groups

The placement under surveillance is marked with the political seal of infamy in Germany because in general reserved for ultra-radical groups.

The party of the Radical Left Die Linke, from the Communist Party of the GDR, had also been the object for a few years after its creation in 2007.

Created in 2013, the AfD came into force in 2017 in the Chamber of Deputies and embodies there the first force of opposition to the conservatives of Angela Merkel and to the social democrats together in power.

The party, which has built its success on its stance against the Chancellor's migration policy, is currently torn by internal quarrels and losing momentum in the polls.

Questioned by AFP, Internal Intelligence refused to publicly confirm the measure, claiming "not to be able to speak publicly on this affair" due to ongoing legal proceedings, the AfD having lodged a complaint upstream.

The leaders of the AfD denounced a decision "purely political", "scandalous" and announced already wanting to fight it in justice.

"The duty of Internal Intelligence should be to avoid a violent coup, and not to suppress the fight for democratic ideas," criticized honorary party chairman Alexander Gauland, comparing him to the dreaded Stasi. secret police of the Communist GDR.

Tino Chrupalla and Jörg Meuthen, the leaders of the party, protested against leaks in the press detrimental to the formation while they themselves have "no confirmation" from the office.

"Dangerous game?"

The left for its part applauded.

Social Democratic Party General Secretary Lars Klingbeil deemed the surveillance of an "undemocratic" party like the AfD "necessary and fair".

The president of the German Jewish community, Josef Schuster, also greeted it, considering that this party "contributed to undermine our democratic structures (...) with its destructive policies".

The office relied on a 1,000-page intelligence report cataloging "the party's alleged violations of the free and democratic basic order."

Investigators gathered several hundred speeches or statements from AfD officials at all levels.

A key element retained would be the influence of the most radical fringe of the AfD, called "The Wing" and close to the neo-Nazis.

Also placed under surveillance last year, this movement has officially dissolved but its representatives are still in the party.

Faced with the threat of surveillance, its less radical leaders have tried in recent months to organize the counterattack by displaying a more civilized image and by softening their rhetoric about migrants.

During a congress in November, Jörg Meuthen, considered a moderate, had sharply criticized the closeness displayed by party members to opponents of the restrictive measures taken against the virus and the increasingly radical language used to criticize the government.

The decision could however also benefit a party at half mast in the polls by giving it martyrdom status, judges the regional press group RND, which qualifies it as "a very dangerous game".

With AFP

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