Vance and Rubio accuse Germany of 'rebuilding the Berlin Wall' and acting as a 'tyranny in disguise' after designating the AfD party as 'extremist'

On X on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused German institutions of acting as a "tyranny in disguise" after the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), i.e. Germany's domestic intelligence agency, designated the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a "right-wing extremist organization."

Hours later, the German chancellery responded to Rubio's post, asserting that the decision was legitimate, based on democratic values, and that Germany has experience combating the "far right."

"Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise," Rubio wrote.

"What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes. Germany should reverse course," the secretary of state and newly appointed U.S. national security adviser said.

Rubio's post came after the BfV published this Friday, saying that the rating on the AfD is based on an "intensive and comprehensive expert examination" that concludes that the party's anti-immigration stance "is not compatible with the free and democratic fundamental order."

Then, Vice President JD Vance cited Rubio's tweet claiming that German authorities are "rebuilding" the Berlin Wall after designating the main opposition party as extremist.

"The AfD is the most popular party in Germany, and by far the most representative of East Germany. Now the bureaucrats try to destroy it," Vance said. "The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt—not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment."

In an English-language message, the German chancellery responded to Rubio by saying, "This is democracy."

"This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped," the foreign ministry said, citing the BfV statement.

According to the German Interior Intelligence agency, the AfD party - created in 2013 - promotes a vision of the German people based on ethnic criteria, sidelining citizens with migrant roots, especially those of Muslim origin, which undermines their dignity and the values set out in the European country's constitution.

"We are convinced that Alternative for Germany is a clearly right-wing extremist movement," BfV Vice President Sinan Selen and Vice President Dr. Silke Willems jointly declared.

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

In a statement, they accused the BfV of acting for 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 president," they said, questioning the legitimacy of the BfV, whose leadership has been vacant since November 2024.