AfD leadership announces legal action after Verfassungsschutz decision to classify entire party as right-wing extremist.
The leadership of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has announced legal action following the decision by the Federal Agency for the Protection of Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) to classify the entire party as right-wing extremist.
In a joint statement released on Friday afternoon, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla described the decision as a “serious blow to the democratic system of the Federal Republic of Germany.” They added that in current polls, the AfD is the strongest political force and the current federal government will only remain in office for four more days. The Verfassungsschutz does not even have a president yet and the classification as a “suspicious case” is not yet legally binding.
According to Weidel and Chrupalla, the AfD will now be publicly discredited and criminalized as an opposition party just before the government change. They stated that the targeted intervention in the democratic decision-making process is clearly politically motivated. The AfD will “continue to defend itself against these democracy-threatening smear campaigns through legal means.” Details of any possible legal action have not yet been announced.