German authorities are escalating their crackdown on members of the populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party after the federal domestic intelligence agency officially labeled the party “right-wing extremist.” Police officers and civil servants who belong to the AfD may now face expulsion from public service, a move critics say is politically motivated and dangerous for democracy.
State leaders in Hesse and Bavaria announced they will review the employment status of civil servants with AfD ties. The announcement follows the decision by Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to classify the AfD as an extremist organization over its opposition to mass migration and open borders, policies long championed by the Berlin political establishment.
With this reclassification, the state can now intensify surveillance of the party, including deploying informants and tapping communications. Previously considered merely “suspected extremists,” the new status grants authorities broader powers to monitor the party’s activities.
Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck, of the center-right CDU party, said he would push for a nationwide ban on AfD members serving as police or civil servants at an upcoming meeting of state interior ministers. Bavaria’s Premier Markus Söder echoed the sentiment, stating that the consequences of the BfV decision must include examining public sector roles held by AfD members.
Calls are also growing to defund the party entirely. Under German law, political parties with over 0.5% public support receive taxpayer funding. AfD currently holds approximately 26% in national polls, making it the country’s most popular party. Critics from the CDU and SPD argue that taxpayer money should not fund what they call anti-constitutional propaganda.
Some officials, like SPD Interior Minister Georg Maier, have gone further, suggesting a full ban on the AfD may be “the logical consequence” of the extremist label. Banning a political party would require approval from the Bundestag or Bundesrat, or a ruling from the Federal Constitutional Court.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel condemned the move, calling it “an attack on the rule of law and internal security.” She vowed to stand by AfD-affiliated police officers and accused the government of weaponizing the intelligence service to target political opponents.
