Another AfD state association “certainly right-wing extremist”
Published: Tuesday, Nov 7th 2023, 16:50
Updated At: Wednesday, Nov 8th 2023, 00:54
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In the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the state association of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a secured right-wing extremist organization.
This was announced by the head of the authority, Jochen Hollmann, on Tuesday in response to an inquiry. The authority had evaluated numerous anti-Muslim, racist and anti-Semitic statements made by functionaries and elected officials.
The AfD regional association in Saxony-Anhalt has been classified as a suspected case by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (domestic intelligence service) since 2021. Since then, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has collected further extensive information that is incompatible with human dignity, democracy and the rule of law, according to Hollmann.
The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt is now the second state association in Germany to be classified in this way. In Thuringia, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution had already classified the AfD with its controversial state party and parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke as confirmed right-wing extremist in March 2021. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the AfD as a whole one level below this, namely as a suspected right-wing extremist organization.
In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is the strongest opposition party in the state parliament. The federal state with around 2.2 million inhabitants is governed by a coalition of the CDU, SPD and FDP.
The AfD was founded a good ten years ago. In the most recent state elections in Hesse and Bavaria in October, it won 18.4% and 14.6% respectively. However, it is even stronger in eastern Germany. According to current polls, it could become the strongest party in the state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg in September 2024.
©Keystone/SDA
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