Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has officially classified the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a “proven right-wing extremist organization,” marking the most serious step yet in Berlin’s efforts to contain the rising political force.

The move, announced Friday by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), means that the AfD is no longer merely under suspicion. The agency says it now has definitive evidence that the party works against Germany’s democratic system.

A 1,000-page internal report, according to German public broadcaster ARD, underpins the decision, citing violations of core constitutional principles such as human dignity and the rule of law.

This is the first time in modern German history that the party with nationwide representation in parliament has been formally designated as extremist. Some state-level AfD branches — like those in the eastern states of Saxony and Thuringia — had already received that label.

The new classification doesn’t ban the party, but it allows German authorities to intensify surveillance, including the use of undercover informants and monitoring communications, under judicial oversight.

It also raises the political stakes as establishment parties will face growing pressure to rule out cooperation with the AfD at any level of government.

The decision could fuel calls for a formal party ban, though that would require approval from Germany’s top constitutional court and backing from the national government or parliament— an uphill legal and political battle.

In response, the AfD lashed out at the country’s domestic intelligence agency.

In a written statement, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla called the decision “a serious blow to German democracy,” arguing it was politically timed to damage the AfD ahead of a possible change in government.

“Current polls show the AfD as the strongest force,” they said. “The federal government only has four days left in office. The intelligence service doesn’t even have a president. And the classification as a ‘suspected case’ hasn’t been finalized in court.”

The AfD also accused the German government of orchestrating a last-minute smear campaign.

“Just days before a change of government, the AfD is being publicly discredited and criminalized,” the leaders said, claiming the move was “clearly politically motivated.” They vowed to keep fighting the classification in court, warning: “The AfD will continue to legally defend itself against these defamatory attacks that endanger democracy.”

Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz cautioned against rushing into a ban on the AfD, despite the new classification.

“I believe this is not something that should be done hastily,” the Social Democrat politician said at an event in Hanover. He noted that the Federal Constitutional Court had rejected all recent party ban attempts. “I’m against a knee-jerk reaction, and that’s why I won’t say, ‘This is how we should do it.’”

Scholz added that the intelligence agency’s report was prepared with great care. “Now those many pages need to actually be read by many people,” he said.

When asked whether the rise of the AfD casts a shadow over his chancellorship, Scholz responded: “It weighs on me — as a citizen, as chancellor, and as a member of the German Bundestag.”

Politico

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