Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has officially classified the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization at the national level.
The announcement came on Friday after a comprehensive expert review spanning approximately three years. Previously, the AfD had been designated a “suspected case” federally, while several of its regional branches had already been labeled extremist entities.
According to German public broadcaster ARD, the BfV’s assessment is detailed in a report exceeding 1,000 pages. The agency concluded that the AfD’s prevailing “ethnic-based concept of the people” conflicts with Germany’s liberal democratic values.
AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla condemned the decision, calling it a severe blow to democracy. In a joint statement, they announced plans to challenge the classification through legal means, describing it as “defamation that endangers democracy.”
The AfD has been gaining momentum in public opinion polls, surpassing the conservative CDU/CSU bloc last month to become the strongest political party in a national survey. The BfV’s classification could have significant implications for the party’s future and Germany’s political landscape.
