A senior official in the German federal police has called for a stronger approach to dealing with suspected far-right sympathizers within the force.
According to the official, Uli Grötsch, a membership in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and a career as a police officer are mutually exclusive. Grötsch made the statement in an interview with the Rheinische Post, a German newspaper, in which he also emphasized that the AfD has been officially designated as a right-wing extremist party by the German domestic intelligence agency, the Verfassungsschutz.
Grötsch believes that the law, which was amended in November 2023, has a clear intention and that it should be applied more strictly. He expects a stronger application of the law, stating that a visible engagement in support of the AfD would necessitate the removal of the individual from the police force. The official defines engagement as openly supporting the party, running for local or national office, or even a seat in the Bundestag, the German federal parliament.