German intelligence classifies AfD youth wing as 'extremist'



DW- TODAY

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution had been monitoring the Young Alternatives for suspected right-wing extremism since 2019. This has now been upgraded to a confirmed case of extremism.

https://p.dw.com/p/4QZpm

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has reclassified the far-right Alternative for Germany party's (AfD) youth wing as an extremist entity that threatens democracy, it said on Wednesday.

The domestic spy agency began monitoring the Young Alternatives organization for suspected extremism in 2019, but it will now be monitored as a confirmed case of right-wing extremism.

It said the the group "propagates a racial concept of society based on basic biologistic assumptions."
Other groups classified as extremist

Also mentioned in Wednesday's announcement were two other groups that would now be classified as extremist entities: the Institute for State Policy and the One Percent group.

There is no longer any doubt that these three associations of persons are pursuing anti-constitutional endeavors," said Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).

"They are therefore classified and processed by the BfV as confirmed right-wing extremist endeavors."
AfD entering the mainstream

The news could be a blow for the AfD, which was recently polling at around 15-17%, just a few percentage points behind the Greens and the ruling Social Democrats (SPD).

The party began in 2013 as an anti-euro party but has shifted further to the right on issues like migration to become Germany's most successful far-right party since World War II.

More recently it has capitalized on voter anger over rising energy prices in the wake of sanctions on Russia.

zc/wd (dpa, Reuters)