The Saxon Office for the Protection of the Constitution examined the matter for four years, and on Friday it classified the state association of the AfD as a confirmed right-wing extremist effort. This is the third regional association after Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. The report from the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution comprises 134 pages, which, according to President Dirk-Martin Christian, unequivocally proves “that the AfD state association is pursuing anti-constitutional goals.” The most important questions and answers.
How does the Office for the Protection of the Constitution justify its assessment?
The officials collected statements and political demands from high-ranking officials, elected officials and district associations. They came to the conclusion that the regional association may have heterogeneous personnel, but is dominated by the former radical wing and its intellectual father Björn Höcke. It is said that the party appears to the outside world like a “monolithic bloc”. Right-wing extremist statements would be accepted unchallenged.
Numerous substantive positions of the regional association violated the basic principles of the free democratic basic order, such as human dignity enshrined in Article 1 of the Basic Law. The AfD is pursuing a policy of ethnopluralism, with which migrants and ethnic minorities are viewed as second-class people and are generally despised. “Such a racist expression of the concept of the people, as publicly represented by the AfD Saxony, has its roots in historical National Socialism,” said Christian.
This is also expressed in a drastic and frightening choice of words such as “knife migrants” or “imported killers”, with which the AfD regional association continually stirs up fears and resentment against foreigners. In addition to anti-Semitism, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution also believes there is evidence of ongoing agitation against the basic political order of the Federal Republic. He is concerned with a general debasement of democracy in order to undermine the trust of the population. The Saxon AfD is also closely networked with all relevant right-wing extremist actors.
What does the upgrade mean?
First of all, that the Saxon Office for the Protection of the Constitution is allowed to speak publicly about the AfD. In contrast to other state offices, the authority is not allowed to provide information about suspected cases according to state law. In fact, little else will change. Since being classified as a suspected case in February 2021, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been allowed to use “intelligence resources” against the Saxon AfD, i.e. reading emails, tapping telephones and using informants. However, the hurdles for this will be lower in the future due to the upgrade. The decision could have consequences for officials who are members of the Saxony AfD. Working for a confirmed extremist party can be viewed as a violation of the “political duty of loyalty” for civil servants and can be punished with disciplinary measures up to and including dismissal.
Does the decision have consequences for the federal party?
Not directly. The Federal Association of the AfD, whose co-chairman Tino Chrupalla comes from Saxony, is currently considered a suspected case by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. But the head of the authority, Thomas Haldenwang, has recently pointed out more often that his officials have repeatedly registered extremist statements from AfD representatives. Sooner or later the authorities have to decide whether the suspicion has been confirmed.
How do other federal states deal with the AfD?
The Thuringia regional association under Björn Höcke was the first to be classified as definitely right-wing extremist, followed by Saxony-Anhalt a few weeks ago. The AfD is considered a suspected case in at least five federal states: Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Bremen and Lower Saxony. In the remaining eight countries, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is either not allowed to talk about suspected cases or is allowed to check whether observation is justified.
Can the AfD challenge the classification?
Yes, it can and usually does this wherever the Office for the Protection of the Constitution takes action or makes a public statement. A lawsuit is also expected in Saxony. A ruling from the Higher Administrative Court in Münster is eagerly awaited at the end of February. The judges should decide whether the classification of the federal AfD as a suspected case is legal. Only then will the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution announce whether it also classifies the entire party as definitely right-wing extremist.