The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Brandenburg confirms its classification of the Alternative Party in the state as an extremist party.
The branch of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Brandenburg has officially been classified as a "right-wing extremist organization," according to a detailed 140-page report from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Brandenburg. The report is based on 622 pieces of evidence, describing the party's actions as blatant violations of human dignity and the democratic order. Brandenburg's Interior Minister, René Wilke, confirmed that this classification is fully justified and should remain in place for the time being.
The results reveal that while the Alternative Party in Brandenburg was classified as a "suspected case of extremism" in 2020, its extremist tendencies have not only persisted but have intensified in recent years. The intelligence agency accused the party of seeking to overthrow the political system in Germany, citing speeches and public statements by party members calling for the dismantling of the existing democratic framework.
The report documents repeated instances of xenophobic and racist rhetoric from party officials, including statements that exclude German citizens of immigrant origin from full belonging. An example of this is the statement by Hans-Christoph Berndt, the leader of the parliamentary group of the Alternative Party in Brandenburg, who said: "Germany is the country of Germans and must remain so," along with other members who questioned the legitimacy of naturalization and made discriminatory comments based on appearance.
Wilfried Peters, head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Brandenburg, concluded that the Alternative Party denies or at least restricts the dignity of citizens of immigrant origin. The party leadership rejected these accusations, with Berndt calling for the withdrawal of this classification, affirming that the party is loyal to the constitution and committed to maintaining Germany as a free and democratic state.
The dispute over how to deal with the Alternative Party has already caused political turmoil in Brandenburg, leading to the loss of positions for both former Interior Minister Kathrin Lange and the head of the state intelligence agency, Jörg Müller. As the debate escalated, Brandenburg's Prime Minister, Dietmar Woidke, called for a study on the possibility of banning the party entirely, acknowledging that it would be a difficult but necessary step.