In 2021, Germany’s domestic intelligence declared the AfD a suspected extremist group, sparking a legal battle over whether the German Homeland Security can monitor the party. The domestic intelligence, under the Ministry of the Interior, has been investigating the AfD for connections to the extreme right for years, leading to concerns about the party’s views on immigrants and calls to ban the party by law.
The AfD has been trying to defend itself against accusations of racism by highlighting members with immigrant backgrounds who claim they have not faced discrimination within the party. In court, former mayoral and parliamentary candidate Maysam Ehtemain, along with others, testified to the inclusivity of the party despite its controversial statements about immigration.
Despite these efforts, the domestic intelligence maintains that the evidence against the AfD outweighs the testimonies of party members with immigrant backgrounds. The investigations into the AfD’s connections to the extreme right reportedly contain around a thousand pages of evidence, including statements made by party leaders about Germany’s “Africanization” and derogatory terms used to describe immigrants.
The legal battle over the surveillance of
