Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution suspends the classification of the AfD as “confirmed right-wing extremist”

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has issued a "commitment to standstill" regarding the classification of the AfD as "confirmed right-wing extremist." This is due to an expedited procedure in which the party is appealing the intelligence agency's decision. The AfD's classification is thus temporarily suspended. This applies until the Cologne Administrative Court decides on the expedited application—when exactly this will be is unclear.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is therefore no longer permitted to publicly describe the party as "certainly right-wing extremist" for the time being. A corresponding press release has been removed from its website. However, this does not mean that the report on the AfD, which had been in the works for several years, is no longer valid. The party is being represented in its expedited proceedings by the Höcker law firm.

Last Friday, outgoing Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser ( SPD ) announced the AfD's upgrade. The party was previously considered a "suspected right-wing extremist case." The report in which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution intends to substantiate its assessment remains confidential – although it has been made available to certain media outlets. The intelligence agency cited the "extremist character of the entire party, which disregards human dignity," as the reason for its decision. It also stated: "The ethnic and descent-based understanding of the people that prevails within the party is incompatible with the free democratic basic order." The AfD could already be monitored by the intelligence services before, for example through the use of informants – but this is now easier.

The AfD had also once objected to being classified as a "suspected case." At that time, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution also had to issue a temporary pledge of non-disclosure after the announcement. Ultimately, however, the classification remained.

"We are defending ourselves with all legal means against the upgrade by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution," party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla now announced. "And the Federal Office has given a corresponding commitment to stand still until the actual court decision, not to further designate the Alternative for Germany as 'confirmed right-wing extremist.' This is an important first step toward actually exonerating us and thus countering the accusation of right-wing extremism."

Commitment to standstill: AfD state associations react

Individual AfD state associations also spoke out. "We demand a comprehensive investigation into how this politically motivated campaign against the largest opposition party in the state came about. Those responsible – especially in the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and in politics – must be held accountable," said Lower Saxony AfD state leader Ansgar Schledde.

In Thuringia , Saxony , and Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD has long been considered "certainly right-wing extremist." In Brandenburg, State Interior Minister Katrin Lange (SPD) announced the party's upgrade on Wednesday. The classification was reportedly made on April 14, although Lange herself claims to have only learned of it on May 5. On Tuesday, the SPD minister dismissed the president of the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jörg Müller, because he had informed the office's management too late about the intelligence service's decision. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is a subordinate agency of the respective Interior Ministry.

The AfD in Brandenburg is calling on the intelligence agency to relent. "The classification of the AfD Brandenburg as 'confirmed right-wing extremist,' announced yesterday by Interior Minister Lange, must be immediately revoked," said AfD state chairman René Springer in response to a query from the Berliner Zeitung. "We also demand an end to the politically motivated surveillance practices, a complete depoliticization of the security authorities, and a return to constitutional neutrality."

US government criticizes AfD's upgrade

Following the upgrade of the entire AfD to "confirmed right-wing extremist," individual foreign governments also reacted to the actions of the Interior Ministry and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of a "tyranny" in Germany. "Germany has just granted its intelligence agency new powers to monitor the opposition," Rubio wrote on Platform X. "Germany should reverse course." Individual representatives of the US government are close to the AfD.

The German Foreign Ministry responded: “This is democracy,” the Foreign Office wrote on X. “This decision is the result of a thorough and independent investigation to protect our constitution and the rule of law.” The final word would be “independent courts.”