German court rules far-right AfD party a suspected threat to democracy
Show caption AfD leaders argued it had distanced itself from its most extreme members but judges said key figures from the hardline faction still had ‘significant influence’ in the party. Photograph: Jens Schlueter/AFP/Getty Images The far right German court rules far-right AfD party a suspected threat to democracy Domestic intelligence agency can now tap communications and use undercover informants to spy on activities Staff and agencies Tue 8 Mar 2022 22.21 GMT Share on Facebook
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A German court has ruled that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) can be classified as a suspected threat to democracy, paving the way for the domestic intelligence agency to spy on the opposition party.
The court dismissed a legal challenge brought by the AfD last March that delayed plans by Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to put the party under surveillance.
The administrative court in Cologne however found that there were “sufficient indications of anti-constitutional goals within the AfD”, it said in a statement.
As a result, the BfV is allowed to officially classify the anti-Islam, anti-immigrant party as a “suspected case of right-wing extremism”.
The classification authorises intelligence agents to tap the party’s communications and use undercover informants.
AfD leaders had sought to argue that the party had distanced itself from its most extreme members by disbanding the hardline “Wing” faction led by Bjoern Hoecke.
But judges in Cologne said key figures from the faction still had “significant influence” in the party.
The court also criticised the extremist leanings of the AfD’s youth wing, saying along with former “Wing” supporters these members believed that the “German people should be kept ethnically intact and ‘outsiders’ should be excluded as far as possible”.
“This goes against the Basic Law,” the court said, referring to Germany’s constitution.
Founded in 2013, the AfD started out as an anti-euro outfit before morphing into an anti-immigrant party.
After seizing on public anger over an influx of refugees in 2015-2016, the party stunned Germany’s political establishment to win its first seats in the national parliament in 2017.
It has since been weakened by endless infighting and waning concerns about immigration.
The AfD scored just over 10% of the vote in last year’s general election, down from almost 13% previously, despite efforts to court critics of the government’s coronavirus restrictions.
Jörg Meuthen quit as the party’s co-leader in January, accusing the AfD of drifting too far to the right and displaying “totalitarian” leanings.
