Disagreement with CDU General Secretary: Klingbeil open to AfD ban

SPD party leader Lars Klingbeil has expressed his openness to possible ban proceedings against the AfD . "If the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution determines that this is a confirmed right-wing extremist party, then all measures must be taken and examined," he said at a party conference of the Lower Saxony SPD in Wolfenbüttel. "And if the CDU General Secretary then stands up and says there will be no ban proceedings, then I tell you, that will not be tolerated with us," said Klingbeil. CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann is skeptical of a possible AfD ban. He had advocated fighting the party on its merits. However, an AfD ban should not be dismissed, said Klingbeil. Calls for the initiation of ban proceedings grew louder after the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution upgraded the AfD to a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" in early May. The party is defending itself against this with an urgent application. The domestic intelligence service has suspended the new classification for the time being until a decision is made by the competent administrative court in Cologne.