The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been classified as a far-right group. This conclusion was reached by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, which – according to Social Democratic Interior Minister Nancy Faeser – operated without "any political interference" during the process.
According to the background report justifying the classification, the assessment was based on the fact that AfD seeks to exclude certain population groups – particularly immigrants from Muslim-majority countries – from equal participation in society. The report states that "this is evident from numerous ongoing xenophobic, anti-minority, anti-Islamic, and anti-Muslim statements made by the party’s leading members."
This new classification is not insignificant – it could even lead to the banning of AfD. However, such a ban would not happen automatically. Moreover, it is already clear at this stage that AfD will take legal action against the new classification, accusing it of being politically motivated.
Personally, I am not taking a stance on AfD’s political line here, but it would be rather striking if as much as a quarter of people supported – without a justified reason – a far-right party in a country whose darkest historical chapters include the Nazi party and the Holocaust. Even more peculiar is the fact that no effort is being made to address the reasons behind the views of this quarter of the population. Instead, there appears to be an attempt to block a democratic – that is, electoral – path to solving the problem.
In fact, such an approach would not only be undemocratic but also dangerous. It is clear that if there is a real and fixable reason behind the growth in support for AfD, simply suppressing it will not eliminate the problem. On the contrary: in such a situation, there is a risk that a dissatisfied segment of the population might – at least partially – turn to undemocratic means.
Surely that would not be in the interests of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency? Or would it?
This is all about power. Old parties have brought millions of people to Europe, people who will never adjust to Western democracy. This was not done with the consent of the majority of voters. Now, when there is a party that wants to speak about the topic, it should be suppressed.
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