In a joint open letter, several non-governmental organizations have urged German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt to exclude the AfD-affiliated Desiderius-Erasmus-Stiftung (DES) from state funding. The organizations, including Campact, the Anne Frank Education Centre and the Transparency Portal “Frag den Staat”, argue that a million-euro funding of the DES through tax money would significantly strengthen right-wing extremist networks.
The groups point to the recent constitutional protection report, which classified the AfD as a “secured right-wing extremist effort”. They argue that a state-funded right-wing extremist training ground would, in effect, bring verfassungsfeindliche (anti-constitutional) positions into the mainstream of society.
According to the Foundations Financing Act, party-affiliated foundations must demonstrate in a comprehensive review that they actively promote the principles of a free, democratic constitutional order and the idea of international understanding. The Interior Ministry, however, has declined to provide details on its review process and the expected timeline for a decision, citing the ongoing nature of the procedure.
The organizations have referred to an online petition, titled “No Tax Money for the AfD Foundation”, which has garnered nearly 312,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.