Overview

• Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has suspended its classification of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a confirmed extremist organization.
• The BfV's decision follows the AfD's urgent legal challenge, which accused the outgoing government of politically motivated actions to discredit the party.
• The AfD is now categorized as a 'suspected case,' allowing surveillance under tighter judicial oversight but halting measures like informant recruitment and communication interception.
• The original extremist designation, announced six days ago, was unprecedented for a Bundestag-represented party and based on a 1,000-page internal analysis.
• The suspension has intensified political and international debate, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others criticizing Germany's handling of the AfD.