The leader of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), Lars Klingbeil, has reiterated calls for consideration of a potential ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Speaking to the Funke Media Group newspapers, Klingbeil stated that a failure to address what he described as an explicitly far-right and anti-constitutional party actively undermining democracy and pursuing policies rooted in contempt for human dignity would be unacceptable. He framed the consideration of a formal prohibition procedure as a responsibility for all those committed to democratic principles.
Klingbeil emphasized that any such process would need to be assessed in light of the findings of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Verfassungsschutz, to determine its likely success. He stressed the necessity of actively confronting opponents of democracy.
His comments come as the AfD is experiencing strong polling numbers ahead of the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia on September 14th. Klingbeil dismissed characterizations of the AfD as a party representing workers, arguing that its policies are detrimental to both the economy and the working population. He stated his commitment to repositioning the SPD as a party focused on the needs of employees and laborers.