Germany's AfD classified as extremist: Implications for democracy
The German counterintelligence agency has classified the right-wing populist party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), as an extremist organisation that poses a threat to democracy. What does this mean for the party, and will this decision impact the distribution of power in the Bundestag? We asked Dr Piotr Andrzejewski, an analyst from the Western Institute and an adjunct professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
What do you need to know?
- German counterintelligence (BfV) classified AfD as an extremist organisation and a threat to the democratic order of the state.
- This decision allows authorities, among other things, to use covert methods to monitor AfD’s activities.
- "This does not mean the banning of AfD," emphasises Dr Piotr Andrzejewski in the interview with WP.
An unprecedented decision by German counterintelligence
"Friday’s decision by the BfV confirmed the suspicion that AfD acts against the liberal, democratic order of the state," reads a statement from the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution regarding the classification of Alternative for Germany as an extremist organisation. What does such classification mean in practice? We asked the expert, Dr Piotr Andrzejewski, an analyst from the Western Institute and an adjunct professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Let's start with the fact that this decision didn’t come out of nowhere. This procedure has been ongoing for a long time, around three years. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution presented over a thousand pages of documentation, containing evidence to support this thesis," notes Dr Piotr Andrzejewski in an interview with WP.
The expert recalls that already in 2019, the counterintelligence agency recognised AfD’s youth wing as a so-called suspect case, requiring closer observation, and in 2023 changed this classification, recognising the Young Alternative as unequivocally right-wing extremist. AfD, along with its youth organisation, appealed this decision at the time. However, in February 2024, it was upheld by a court in Cologne.
AfD will not disappear from the political scene
In the counterintelligence decision, it was emphasised that the assessment of AfD is based primarily on the dominant national understanding within the party, which is based not on citizenship, but primarily on origin. "The statements and views of AfD and its leading representatives violate the principle of respect for human dignity," stated BfV Deputy Directors, Sinan Selen and Silke Willems.
"Does the counterintelligence decision mean that the most popular party in Germany will disappear from the political scene? - In practice, it only means that security services in Germany will be able to supervise AfD. They will be able to conduct intelligence activities within the party's structures and legally have their human sources there," explains the analyst from the Western Institute.
Dr Andrzejewski adds that intelligence activities aim to locate and detain dangerous individuals - extremists. For instance, it may lead to the arrests of members of Alternative for Germany who are deemed to pose a threat to democracy.
The expert also emphasises that this does not mean the banning of AfD. Only the Constitutional Court can decide on the banning at the request of one of the two parliamentary chambers (Bundestag or Bundesrat) or the government, which with the current distribution of power is practically impossible. "AfD has a blocking minority," reminds Dr Andrzejewski.
What will AfD do?
Our interlocutor notes that the counterintelligence decision is final and cannot be appealed. "The political mainstream in Germany is certainly very pleased with this. Finally, they can officially call AfD an extremist party. They can show it in this way and strengthen their message against this currently most popular party in Germany, according to polls," notes Dr Andrzejewski.
"There is also another side to the coin," adds the expert.
"Now AfD may say that it is a victim of anti-democratic persecution, that an attempt is being made to oust them from the political life of the Federal Republic of Germany. I am almost certain that such a narrative will give them another surge of a few percentage points in the polls," predicts the analyst.
The words of Dr Piotr Andrzejewski are already being confirmed in the comments of the party leaders. "This is horrendous. A purely political decision before the Chancellor elections on 6 May," said Emil Saenze, head of AfD in the party's national division, in an interview with "Bild" about the counterintelligence decision.
