Germany - November 2023

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), responsible for monitoring anti-constitutional groups, has classified the regional branch of the Alternative for Germany (AfD)  in Saxony-Anhalt, a right-wing wing populist party, with the highest category used by the domestic intelligence service — ‘definitely extremist aspirations.’ Authorities stated that they gathered significant evidence, revealing Islamophobic, antisemitic, and racist statements by AfD officials, which violate the three pillars of the German constitution: human dignity, the principles of democracy, and the rule of law. The classification grants BfV expanded state-level surveillance authority, enabling systematic collection of personal data without restrictions on intelligence gathering. This decision coincides with the upcoming regional elections in 2024 in Thuringia, Brandenburg, and Saxony, where polls indicate a rise in support for the far-right AfD, ranging from 15 to 35 per cent. Saxony-Anhalt's AfD becomes the second party chapter to be classified as right-wing extremist, following its branch in Thuringia in 2021.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, Politico, mdr, ZEIT Online