German intelligence declares AfD an extremist threat

This decision allows the agency to increase surveillance of the party, which came in second in the federal elections in February.

The BfV's conclusion is based on a 1,100-page expert report and qualifies the AfD as a racist and anti-Muslim force. The intelligence services can now use tools such as recruiting confidential informants and intercepting communications to monitor the party.

This stigma could make it harder for the party to attract new members and jeopardize state funding.

The AfD, which is currently leading in a number of polls, has strongly condemned the decision, while political analysts warn that it could further erode support for the party.

The basis for the classification is xenophobic ideology

"Central to our assessment is the ethnically and ancestrally defined concept of the people that shapes the AfD, which devalues entire segments of the population in Germany and violates their human dignity," the agency said in a statement.

"This concept is reflected in the party’s overall anti-migrant and anti-Muslim stance."

The ministry added that the AfD "slandered and defamed" individuals and entire groups, stirring up "irrational fears and hostility towards them."

Party's response and accusations of political pressure

In the party's first statement on the report, the leader of one of the regional parliamentary groups, Anton Baron, said: "It is sad to observe the state of democracy in our country when the ruling parties resort to the most politically questionable methods to fight the strongest opposition party."

Political debate amid Chancellor's change

The intelligence decision was made a few days before the new German Chancellor, Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, was sworn in. It coincided with a heated debate within his party about how to interact with the AfD in the new parliament.

The party has won a record number of seats, which theoretically gives it the right to head several key parliamentary committees.

Merz's associate, Jens Spahn, has advocated treating the AfD as a regular opposition party, arguing that this would prevent it from playing the role of "victim."

However, other parties, as well as a large part of the conservatives themselves, rejected this approach and may now use the BfV's decision as an excuse to block the appointment of AfD representatives to senior positions in parliament.

"There is tension between a party’s claim to chair positions based on its size and the freedom of conscience of the members of parliament," said political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder of the University of Kassel.

"Now, these members can argue that AfD representatives do not meet the necessary standards. The signs are mounting that the AfD is not a normal party, and as a result, it will continue to be marginalized."

Possible ban and measures against funding

This classification could be a pretext for new attempts to ban the AfD. However, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose party (SPD) will enter a coalition with Merz as a junior partner, called for no rush to take such a step.

"I am against a quick shot, we have to evaluate the classification carefully," he said at a church conference in Hanover.

It is also possible that the parliament will try to limit or even stop state funding for the AfD. However, for this to happen, the authorities will need to prove that the party deliberately seeks to undermine or overthrow the democratic system in Germany.

Party history and surveillance in Germany

Some of the AfD's subdivisions, such as the youth wing, have already been recognized as extremist. The entire party was classified as a "probable extremist case" back in 2021.

Founded in 2013 as a protest against anti-crisis measures in the eurozone, the AfD later turned into an anti-immigration party after Germany accepted a large number of refugees in 2015.

The need for the party to be formally recognized as extremist for surveillance by the BfV reflects the legal restrictions imposed on German intelligence in light of the country's past experiences under the Nazi and Communist regimes.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is known for its pro-Russian stance and sympathy for Putin. The AfD systematically opposes anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the EU. In 2022 and 2023, party leaders, including Alice Weidel, repeatedly stated that the sanctions "hurt the German economy more than Russia." In the Bundestag, the AfD voted against proposals to tighten sanctions.