Germany: Court Rules Intel Agency can Surveil 'Suspected Extremist' AfD

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Facts

  • The Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine Westphalia on Monday upheld the findings of a lower court in Cologne, confirming that domestic intelligence services can continue to monitor the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a suspected extremist group.1
  • Judges from the court in Münster found indications that the party may pursue goals against human dignity and democracy, as at least a faction wants to give second-rank status to German citizens with a migration background.2
  • Senior AfD officials announced that the party will lodge an appeal to the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, claiming that the court failed to take up 'hundreds of requests for evidence.'3
  • Meanwhile, Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser welcomed the ruling and praised constitutional instruments designed to frustrate attempts from anti-democratic parties to use democratic means to gain power.4
  • The AfD has polled nationwide at around 20%, leading opinion polls in several eastern states but being less popular in major cities and the western part of Germany.5
  • In a separate case, one of its best-known figures, Björn Höcke, is set to receive a verdict on Tuesday for allegedly using a Nazi slogan. Höcke, who plans to run for governor of Thuringia in September, has pleaded not guilty.6

Sources: 1DPA, 2Al Jazeera, 3Washington Post, 4POLITICO, 5Dw.Com and 6FOX News.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Foreign Policy. While it's true that Europe as a whole has seen a rise in far-right parties, none of them is as extreme as the AfD, which now stands for an authoritarian national radicalism based on social hierarchy and ethnic homogeneity. Democracy is at risk in Germany — it's up to state institutions and citizens to stop these dangerous developments.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Europeanconservative. It's no secret that political elites in Germany have long sought to destroy the anti-globalist AfD, as its popularity consistently raises in eastern states and among young voters. As hypocritical as it seems, they have relied on lies to stigmatize, and threaten with a ban, the second most popular party in Germany under the guise of protecting democracy.

Predictions