Alexander Dobrindt, the designated German Federal Interior Minister, has stated that civil servants and employees in the public service do not necessarily face disciplinary consequences for being members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) or running for an AfD mandate. “There are no blanket consequences for civil servants who declare their allegiance to the AfD. The constitutional fidelity demanded of civil servants can only be considered on a case-by-case basis” he said in an interview with Bild on Tuesday.
Dobrindt also pointed out that the classification of the AfD as extremist was determined by the Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) independently of the oversight of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The outgoing Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) informed him of the BfV’s findings.
Herbert Reul, the Minister of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia, shares a similar view, stating that “mere party membership is not sufficient to automatically derive disciplinary consequences therefrom.” He added, “If someone is to be removed from public service, it must be proven that this person has violated their duty of loyalty to the state through statements or actions. Such cases must be examined individually – without hasty decisions, but with a clear eye and consequences if necessary.” Reul also spoke with Bild about this issue.