Last year, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the AfD youth organization as definitely right-wing extremist. The urgent application by Junge Alternative against this has now been rejected. The court also sees unconstitutional intentions.
The AfD youth organization failed with an urgent application before the Cologne Administrative Court. The court decided that the Junge Alternative (JA) could be classified and treated as a “secure extremist effort” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
According to the court, indications of anti-constitutional efforts by the JA have “consolidated into certainty” since a previous ruling regarding the classification as a suspected case. The decision is not yet legally binding. A complaint can be lodged against the decision with the North Rhine-Westphalia Higher Administrative Court in Münster.
Court: JA’s views violate human dignity
In 2019, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution initially classified the JA as a suspected case of right-wing extremism, and in 2023 it was classified as “certain right-wing extremist endeavor”. The AfD and the youth organization filed a lawsuit against this in June 2023 and granted an urgent application against the classification. The Cologne Administrative Court rejected the urgent application. During the proceedings, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution temporarily suspended the classification.
As justification, the court stated that the JA adheres to a “national concept of ethnicity”. A central political idea of the JA is the “preservation of the German people in their ethnic existence”. The Cologne court found that this constituted a violation of human dignity.
“Migrants are generally suspected and degraded”
In addition, the administrative court found that the JA had massively xenophobic propaganda, which was particularly directed against Islam and Muslims. “Asylum seekers and migrants are generally suspected and degraded. Immigrants are generally described as parasites and criminals or are otherwise despised and their human dignity is thereby disregarded,” the court explained.
The JA continues to agitate against the principle of democracy at federal, state and district levels. This is expressed, for example, in equating the Federal Republic with dictatorial regimes, in particular the Nazi regime and the GDR. The JA also has contacts with associations that are classified as anti-constitutional, such as the Identitarian Movement.
Faeser: Proceed with the means of the constitutional state
From the perspective of Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), the decision shows that the instruments of the rule of law to protect democracy work. “Today’s decision clearly states that we are dealing with massive contempt for humanity, with racism, with hatred against Muslims and with attacks on our democracy,” said the minister.
We will continue to take action against this using the means of the rule of law, she added. “Right now it is important to actively defend our democracy and protect all those who are hostile because of their origin, skin color or their democratic stance.”
Ref: 13 L 1124/23