The anti-immigration party has once again been confirmed as a ‘far-right extremist’ in the eastern German state following the dismissal of an urgent application by the party.
As of Thursday, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency known as the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz – BfV), has classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party branch in Brandenburg as ‘confirmed far-right extremist’.
From the point of view of the BfV, the far-right party in Brandenburg violates human dignity and the principle of democracy due to increasing radicalisation, said BfV head, Wilfried Peters, at a presentation of the report on the classification, according to the German Press Agency.
“It’s about discrimination and exclusion,” Peters added.
Where is the AfD classed as “extremist”?
The AfD branch in Brandenburg – the state which surrounds the city-state of Berlin – is not the first state branch of the party to be classified extremist.
In Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the respective state association of the AfD has been classified in this way for some time.
Meanwhile, at the national level, the anti-immigration party was classified as extremist by the BfV in May, but then, following a legal challenge to the ruling by the party, the classification was suspended until a court can rule on the case.
Similar legal entanglements have played out at the state level in Brandenburg. Even as the Brandenburg BfV has moved forward with releasing its report on the classification, legal disputes raised by the party have limited how much of the BfV’s report can be shared publicly.
In a 142-page report – officially called the “classification note” – the Brandenburg BfV concludes that the AfD is actively working against Germany’s democratic system of governance.
Brandenburg’s Interior Ministry cited several conclusions from the report, including that it was found to be highly xenophobic, partly racist and that it primarily targets Muslims. All of these positions are not compatible with German Basic Law.
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Regional AfD leaders voiced their criticism of the classification on Thursday – the AfD parliamentary leader in Brandenburg called the move arbitrary, accusing the BfV of “making judgements”.
Attention to, and criticism of, the far-right party has increased since Germany’s national election in February when it managed to get the second most votes, after the conservative Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU).
A new poll by RTL, published earlier this week suggests the AfD currently has more support at the national level (26 percent) than the conservative party (24 percent) which currently heads the federal government.
With reporting by DPA.