Right-wing extremism
Thuringian AfD takes action against state constitutional protection report
The Thuringian AfD with its state party and parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke was classified as definitely right-wing extremist. photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa
Thuringia’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the AfD state association as definitely right-wing extremist in a report in March 2021. The party is now taking legal action against individual passages.
The administrative court in Weimar is dealing with a lawsuit brought by the Thuringians AfD against parts of the state constitutional protection report 2021. A spokeswoman for the court confirmed this when asked. The lawsuit was received in mid-August. “The parties involved in the lawsuit are currently making written submissions on the matter,” said the spokeswoman.
It is unclear when a decision will be made. It is also unclear whether the AfD will be successful with its plan. The Thuringian AfD with its state party and parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke was classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution in March 2021. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution for the period 2021 contains a detailed justification for classifying the Thuringian AfD as a confirmed right-wing extremist effort. The AfD does not legally defend itself against the classification itself.
According to dpa information, the AfD considers several statements in the report to be unlawful and argues that they violate the state’s requirement of objectivity and neutrality. Accordingly, it concerns, among other things, a passage in which the Thuringian AfD is accused of a “form of extremist Islamophobia” as well as the points in the report “attacks on the principle of the rule of law” and “historical revisionism”. The point “violations of the principle of democracy” was not addressed. Thuringia’s head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Stephan Kramer, did not want to comment, citing the ongoing proceedings.