German intelligence agency declares AfD party ‘extremist’ and opens the door to its outlawing

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency, has officially classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a "right-wing extremist organization," a decision that intensifies surveillance over the formation and reignites the debate over its possible outlawing, according to reports from La Gaceta.

The move, announced Friday, marks a milestone in escalating tensions between AfD, the main opposition force in the Bundestag, and German authorities.

According to a BfV statement, the rating is based on an "intensive and comprehensive expert examination" that concludes that AfD's anti-immigration stance "is not compatible with the free and democratic fundamental order."

The agency notes that the party, founded in 2013, promotes an ethnic conception of the German people that excludes citizens with a migration background, especially of Muslim origin, violating their human dignity and constitutional principles. "We are convinced that Alternative for Germany is a clearly right-wing extremist movement," BfV's vice president Sinan Selen and vice president Dr. Silke Willems jointly stated.

The decision expands surveillance on AfD nationwide, allowing authorities to monitor meetings, wiretap communications and infiltrate informants into the organization. Some factions of the party, such as its youth wing, had already been classified as extremist, with regional branches in Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt facing this designation for some time.

Since 2021, the BfV had considered AfD a "suspect case of right-wing extremism," but the new classification, backed by a report of more than 1,100 pages, raises the pressure on the formation.

AfD, which won 20.8% of the vote in the February 2025 general election, consolidating its position as the second-largest force in the Bundestag with 152 seats, has seen a steady rise in popularity. An Ipsos poll in March 2025 placed AfD as the leading force in voting intention, with support as high as 23% according to recent polls.

AfD leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, responded by calling the decision a "blow for democracy."

In a statement shared on X, they accused the BfV of acting on political motives to discredit the main opposition force, especially just days before the inauguration of the new chancellor, Friedrich Merz. "The federal government has only four days left and the intelligence agency doesn't even have a chairman," they pointed out, questioning the legitimacy of the BfV, whose presidency has been vacant since November 2024.

The party's vice chairman, Stephan Brandner, announced that AfD will analyze the decision next week to assess possible legal action.

For her part, acting Interior Minister Nancy Faeser defended the BfV's independence, saying the report is a "clear and unambiguous assessment" without political influence. Faeser stressed that AfD promotes neo-Nazi-like politics with "racist statements, especially against migrants and Muslims."

However, the outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, called for caution in the face of possible outlawing, advocating intensified vigilance and studying the consequences of the new classification before taking drastic measures.

The BfV's decision could have significant implications, including limiting AfD's access to public funding and breaking the cordon sanitaire that other parties have imposed to avoid collaborating with the formation.

As the debate over AfD's future intensifies, the formation has already announced its intention to challenge the decision in court, which could prolong the controversy at a time of political transition in the country.