The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has been classified as ‘confirmed right-wing extremist’ by Germany’s domestic intelligence service. Until now, the party – which came second in federal elections in February – had been considered ‘suspected right-wing extremist’. After this upgrade, in the eyes of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (known by its German acronym BfV), the AfD and the values it holds stand in violation of Germany’s constitution.
The BfV had been investigating the party for many months, finally submitting a lengthy report to the Ministry of the Interior this week. They had reportedly wanted to submit their findings to the government at the end of last year, but following Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to call an early election, the intelligence service felt compelled to wait until after the February vote to change the AfD’s classification.
The party has increasingly lent into racist language and rhetoric to promote their political platform
Explaining their decision, the BfV listed a number of the party’s actions which they claimed breached Germany’s constitutional values.
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