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2d ago

Germany Labels AfD as Proven Extremist Group, U.S. Lawmakers Urge Halt to Intelligence Sharing

The classification grants Germany's BfV expanded surveillance powers, as cross-party calls for a constitutional ban on the AfD grow and U.S. officials criticize the move as anti-democratic.

Donald Trump
BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 07: Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, arrives to speak to the media with AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla shortly after the AfD leadership confirmed Weidel as the party's candidate for chancellor on December 07, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Germany is scheduled to hold snap parliamentary elections on February 23 following the recent collapse of the federal thee-party coalition government. The AfD is currently in second place in polls at about 18% behind the German Christian Democrats (CDU). (Photo by Maryam Majd/Getty Images)
New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 7, 2025, in Warsaw, Poland.
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, attends a confirmation hearing of retired U.S. Lt. Gen. John Daniel Caine, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Overview

  • Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, officially classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a proven right-wing extremist organization, enabling expanded surveillance measures such as wiretapping and infiltration.
  • The classification has prompted major German political parties to push for a parliamentary vote to initiate a constitutional ban on the AfD, a process that would ultimately be decided by the Federal Constitutional Court.
  • The AfD, which achieved a record 20% in February’s federal elections and is now Germany’s most popular party in polls, has filed legal challenges against the extremist designation.
  • U.S. Senator Tom Cotton has called on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to pause intelligence sharing with Germany, citing concerns about the targeting of a legitimate opposition party.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have criticized the classification, framing it as a suppression of democratic choice, while Germany defends the move as necessary to protect its constitution.