Over 50 non-governmental organizations, which have joined the “Defend human dignity – Ban the AfD now” campaign, have sharply criticized the hesitation of German Bundestag members to initiate a ban procedure against the AfD at the Federal Constitutional Court. “While new entanglements of the AfD in the right-extremist scene are uncovered weekly, the faction leaders continue to hesitate on the AfD ban” said Julia Dück, the campaign’s press spokesperson, on Thursday.
The evidence is overwhelming, Dück said. “The necessary facts, legal assessments, and the ban application are on the table.”
The non-governmental organizations fear that the time window for the Bundestag to initiate a review of the party by the Federal Constitutional Court is closing. “It is becoming increasingly unlikely that the majority conditions in the next legislative period will still enable the initiation of the procedure. A further delay of the procedure would let a historical opportunity to protect our democracy slip away” Dück said. “This catastrophic mistake must not happen in Germany again.”
The hesitation is still being justified by saying that not enough material is available and the outcome of the procedure is too uncertain. The AfD ban campaign criticizes this as a pretense. Already in November, 17 constitutional lawyers in a legal opinion had certified the ban procedure’s prospects of success. Moreover, according to current press reports, the AfD’s reclassification as “secured right-extremist” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution on a federal and in Brandenburg has been decided internally and is only not being published.
“As a broad civil society coalition, we are calling on the Bundestag members to vote now for the initiation of an AfD ban procedure” said Malte Engeler, the campaign’s press spokesperson. “We must not stand by and wait until the AfD has gained power and it’s too late. The Bundestag must now clear the way for the Federal Constitutional Court to finally start its work.