The German national Constitutional Protection Office (BfV) temporarily suspended the classification of the alternate organization for Germany (AfD) as a ‘confirmed far right group’.
This means that the institution, which is liable for monitoring the threats to German democracy, has halted the usage of the most invasive surveillance methods to this party. The decision was taken in connection with the pending judicial proceedings and is to apply until the final judgement of the administrative court in Cologne.
AfD has challenged BfV's earlier decision, arguing that its designation as an extremist group is politically motivated and violates the party's constitutional rights and supporters. The group leaders, Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, considered the suspension of the classification to be a ‘important step’ towards restoring equal conditions in German political life. In their assessment, BfV's actions are an effort to suppress legal opposition and interference in the democratic process. The organization claims to have been deliberately stigmatized by its increasing support and criticism of current migration, energy and EU policies.
The decision to classify AfD as an utmost right-wing group was announced by BfV on 2 May 2025. It was based on an extensive, over 1100-page study that pointed to the extremist rhetoric of any organization leaders, including statements of a racist and anti-Islamic character, as well as possible links of AfD to extremist organizations. Recognising the organization as an utmost group would enable the services to apply surveillance measures specified as eavesdropping, monitoring communication and utilizing informants.
AfD has achieved crucial electoral successes in fresh months, winning more than 20 percent of the vote in the February parliamentary elections and taking second place, just behind CDU/CSU. The organization is gaining popularity especially in the east states, where criticism of Berlin's and the European Union's policies is being met with an expanding social response. For this reason, many observers say that BfV's actions can have not only a legal dimension, but besides a political dimension, which creates controversy at home and abroad.
The global responses to the case were divided. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed outrage at the decision of the German services, calling it “tyrannical in the disguise of democracy”. In turn, the German abroad Ministry defended BfV's position, stressing that the decision was taken as a consequence of an independent investigation and aims to defend the constitutional order of the state. According to the Ministry, all political organization in Germany must act within democratic standards and must not spread hatred or undermine fundamental constitutional values.
At this point, AfD remains on the list of “suspected extremists” groups, which inactive allows BfV to conduct limited monitoring. However, the key operational powers are suspended until the court has decided. The case of AfD becomes a symbol of a wider debate on the limits of political freedom, the neutrality of state institutions and the future of Euroscepticism.
