A German court ruled on Monday (13) that the country's internal security services can continue to treat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a potentially extremist party, meaning they retain the right to keep him under surveillance.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, tasked with protecting Germany's democratic order against extremist threats, has classified the AfD as potentially extremist since 2021.
Judges at the higher administrative court in Muenster confirmed a lower court's conclusion in 2022 that the designation is proportionate and does not violate the Constitution or European or national civil law.
“The court considers that there is sufficient evidence that the AfD pursues objectives that go against the human dignity of certain groups and against democracy,” the judges wrote.
“There is reason to suspect that at least part of the party wants to grant second-tier status to German citizens with an immigration background.”
The party, which leads in opinion polls in several eastern states holding local elections this year, has recently faced harsher scrutiny over racist comments made by members and allegations that it harbors Russian and Chinese spies and agents.
Few experts expected the AfD's challenge to the lower court's ruling to be successful. The party presented no new evidence and instead took up hours of the court's time with lengthy motions demanding that government officials be called as witnesses.
This led some experts to suggest that the legal challenge was as much part of a communications strategy and plan to destroy state institutions as it was a legal strategy.
“This decision shows that our democracy can defend itself,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement. “It has tools that protect it from insider threats.”
In a statement, the AfD said, without elaborating, that the court had echoed some of its criticisms and added that it would appeal. Monday's decision resolves the facts of the case: an appeal could only involve challenging the way lower courts applied the law.
The potentially extremist designation means that security services can wiretap the party and recruit informants within it.
Source: CNN Brasil
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