Saxon Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) announces that despite the nationwide assessment of the AfD as a “confirmed extremist tendency” by the Federal Constitutional Protection, there will be no blanket consequences for civil servants with AfD membership in Saxony. “There will be no arbitrary assessment of political beliefs or a new radical decree in Saxony” said Schuster to the “taz” (Wednesday edition). “Employers do not know, for good reasons, the political affiliation of their employees. This should remain so.” However, Schuster said, for civil servants who are seeking a security-related position, there is already a check today – and for members of extremist parties, this is a problem. For the majority of civil servants, however, a mere membership is not sufficient to assume a breach of duty. Schuster also opposes an AfD ban. “The bar for a ban is much higher” than an assessment by the Constitutional Protection, says the CDU politician. “I can therefore not understand the enthusiasm with which many now call for a ban.” For a successful ban by the Federal Constitutional Court, there also needs to be a more aggressive approach, said Schuster to the “taz”. “And this is not so easy to prove with the AfD so far.” Schuster also does not see a withdrawal of party financing for the AfD as possible at this time. The CDU politician criticizes the quick publication of the Constitutional Protection assessment by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). Such an assessment must be professionally reviewed, says the CDU man. “A professional review of such a report is probably not possible in such a short time at the Federal Ministry of the Interior.” Instead, Schuster advocates fighting the AfD politically. If there is a change in policy with the new federal government, he is convinced that “we will experience a trend reversal in the election results next year and the AfD will sink again.” On Friday, Faeser announced the assessment of the AfD as a confirmed extremist tendency by the Federal Agency for Constitutional Protection. The intelligence service had been reviewing the step for years and presented a corresponding report last Monday. The AfD has already filed a lawsuit against the assessment.
Schuster Defends AfD Members from Unwarranted Scrutiny in Saxony.
