The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is apparently planning to classify the entire AfD as a “secure extremist effort.”

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Demonstration under the motto "We are the firewall against the AfD": "I am convinced that the citizens will ensure that the importance of this party decreases again"

Photo: Max Patzig / Future Image / IMAGO

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is apparently preparing to classify the entire AfD as a “secure extremist effort,” as research by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” has shown.

The news magazine relies on internal emails and notes from the domestic secret service.

The party is currently only listed as a so-called suspected case of right-wing extremism.

According to the “SZ”, the step has been planned for a long time.

They just want to wait for the hearing scheduled for March before the Higher Administrative Court in Münster.

There the AfD itself is suing against its observation.

SPIEGEL has also pointed out several times in the past the likelihood that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution would want to classify the AfD as "certain extremist" after the decision in Münster.

The statements by the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, suggested this.

This is the validity of a report from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution from 2021, which sheds light on the radicalism of the AfD.

Since March last year at the latest, there has been talk of an “AfD follow-up report 2023” in internal emails from the Federal Office, according to the “SZ”.

This report is currently being worked on.

In addition to the well-known criticisms of racism and authoritarianism in the AfD, a new point has since been listed under the heading “Development of the party since March 2022”: “Relationship with Russia”.

According to the “SZ” they wanted to complete the report.

This was approved by Haldenwang and his deputy Sinan Selen in May 2023.

However, it is controversial among politicians whether a ban on the AfD is actually the best solution in the fight against right-wing extremism.

A party like the AfD must endure democracy and fight it politically.

A party ban can only be the “ultima ratio” and should only be used in an emergency.

"I'm not a fan of banning the AfD," said Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an interview with SPIEGEL: "I'm convinced that the citizens will ensure that the importance of this party decreases again."

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