AfD sues German security service for right-wing extremist labeling

The German party Alternative Für Deutschland (AfD) has filed an indictment against the National Security Service, the Bundesamt Für Verfassungsschutz. That report German media and international press agencies on Monday, based on a party spokesperson. AfD disagrees with the earlier decision of the Bundesamt to label the party as right-wing extremist.

AfD has filed a case and submitted an emergency request to the court in Cologne, the city in which the Bundesamt is located. The party was previously critical about the decision and called it a « heavy blow » for democracy. According to AfD, the security service has not yet responded.

Last Friday, the Security Service announced that it was labeled AfD as legal extremist, because her about who and not German citizens are in violation of a free democracy. « In concrete terms, for example, the AfD does not consider German citizens with a migration background from predominantly Islamic countries as equal members of the German people defined by the party, » said Bundesamt.

It is therefore about the view of the anti-migration party about the German people, and how that view excludes population groups. Due to the new categorization, the security service can now keep an eye on the party. Earlier, the party was already categorized as « possible rights. »

‘Disguised tyranny’

Both the United States and Russia criticized the decision of the Bundesamt. The Kremlin announced on Monday that the latest assessment shows that there are many restrictive measures in Europe against entities that do not fall into the ‘general trend’. The American foreign minister Marco Rubio called the decision « disguised tyranny. »

Due to the new labeling, the debate about a possible ban on AfD has flared up again. Especially the left -wing opposition parties that Grünen and Die Linke want a ban like this. The Christian Democrats, CDU/CSU, who became the largest in the last elections in February, are skeptical. Olaf Scholz, who forms the new German government with his workers’ party (SDP) together with CDU/CSU, also reacted cautiously: he said that a prohibition should « not rush ».

Scholz will resign as Chancellor on Monday and makes way for Friedrich Merz (CDU), who has not yet commented on the decision of the security service.

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