A special party convention of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in Berlin has voiced its support for the preparation of a potential procedure to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany party.
In a resolution passed with a significant majority on Sunday, the party emphasized the need for the constitutional authorities to create the necessary conditions to swiftly file a petition to declare the AfD as unconstitutional. A Bund-Länder working group will now assess the likelihood of a successful ban.
During the presentation of the resolution, Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier stated, “The AfD has only just begun to dismantle our democracy.” He argued that it is now time to utilize the instruments designed by the founders of the constitution, as the AfD is a far more potent and effective force than the failed attempt to ban the National Democratic Party of Germany, which was not successful due to a lack of “potentiality.” Maier dismissed comparisons with the NPD, stating that the latter was not a powerful enough force and there is no doubt that the AfD is a different case.
SPD Chairman Lars Klingbeil also took the floor, highlighting the importance of the party’s unified stance on the issue. “At the moment when the constitutional protection agency says a party is a securely right-wing extremist one, there can be no more tacking” he said. Democrats must use the tools at their disposal to protect the constitution.
According to Klingbeil, it is correct to seriously prepare for a ban procedure, which will be examined and not dismissed, as some in the Union might imagine. While this is not the only thing that must be done in the fight against the right, the legal confrontation is an essential part of it, he added.