For more reactions and analysis on this story, follow the Germany updates on Friday here.
The German espionage agency BFV has labeled the entire extreme right alternative to Germany (AFD) as an extremist entity.
The BFV, which is responsible for protecting the constitutional order of Germany, said that Friday’s announcement had occurred after an “intense and complete” examination.
The designation gives the authorities more powers to monitor the game, with measures such as interception of telephone calls and the use of infiltrated agents.
Why is AFD classified as an extremist?
The BFV declared in its decision that the “conception of ethnicity and ancestry of people who predominate within the party is not compatible with the free democratic order”.
He cited “xenophobic, anti-minority, Islamophobic and anti-muslim statements made by the main party officials”.
The party “aims to exclude certain population groups from the same participation in the company, to subject them to a treatment which violates the Constitution and thus attributing them a legally subordinate status,” said the agency.
The BFV has already appointed AFD in the states of east of Germany Thuringia and the Saxony-Anhalt as proven extremist groups.
AFD has repeatedly ran controversial in recent years, its senior officials rejecting the Nazi era of Germany as “bird shit” in the history of the country which extends over more than 1000 years, or claiming that Adolf Hitler was “forced” to invade Poland.
Last year, AFD legislators were involved in an alleged plan for the mass expulsion of millions of citizens.
Before the legislative elections in February this year, the American billionaire Elon Musk approved the party, saying that it was the only party which “can save Germany”.
The Minister of the Interior says “no political influence” behind the move
In a separate declaration, the outgoing Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, stressed that there was “no political influence” in the conclusions of the BFV agency, which are based on a 1,100 pages report.
She said the party put a campaign against democratic order.
“The AFD represents an ethnic concept that discriminates whole population groups and treats citizens with a history of migration as second -class Germans,” said FaeSer.
“Their ethnic attitude is reflected in racist statements, especially against immigrants and Muslims,” she added.
What is the popularity of AFD in Germany?
The party obtained 20.8% of the votes in the elections, finishing second behind the new block of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the CDU / CSU block which had 28.6% of the votes.
Recent surveys, however, indicate that AFD is filming the gap with the German conservatives. A survey published by Forsa last week even put AFD at 26%, ahead of the CDU / CSU with 24%.
How did AFD reacted to the “extremist” label?
AFD’s co-leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, published a statement criticizing this decision, describing it as a “blow” to democracy.
“AFD as an opposition party is now publicly discredited and criminalized,” they said.
Weidel and Chrupalla promised to set up a legal challenge against the label, which, according to them, was “clearly politically motivated”.
Edited by: Rana Taha
