The influential mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, is harshly criticizing the Office of the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the powerful German domestic spy agency, after it labeled the Alternative for Germany (AfD) a confirmed “right-wing extremist” party. The former Green Party politician, who won Tübingen despite switching to run as an independent, said the secret, 1,000-page report used to justify the AfD’s designation basically just listed public incidents already known to the media.
“Unless Der Spiegel is simply poorly informed, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has compiled primarily what is publicly known,” wrote Palmer.
In addition, the report seems to focus on the AfD’s stance on migration, but Palmer himself says it is no surprise the AfD is critical of immigration.
He noted that there are vast differences in rates of violence between different regions of the world, and also within Germany, it is clear that some groups are more prone to violence than others, including groups like Afghans and Algerians. However, he argues that this is socially and not genetically determined.
“Terms like ‘knifemen’ are political exaggerations, but not evidence of racism,” he wrote.
“Just being staunchly right-wing and anti-immigration is not forbidden,” he added. “After all, the law of blood was still largely a reality in the Federal Republic of Germany.” He said the 2000 reform of the citizenship law improved this situation, which meant children born to non-German parents could still attain citizenship in Germany, “but were Helmut Kohl and Roland Koch enemies of the constitution because they clung to the old law?”
The report from the BfV could pave the way for a potential ban, but Palmer is also critical of a ban procedure, saying that not only could it benefit the AfD, but that the entire process may be legally questionable with a very uncertain outcome.
He said he cannot imagine that the Constitutional Court, the country’s top court, would classify the party based on statements it has made about migration and even the concept of Germans as an ethnicity. He said accusations about the AfD being racists, Nazis, or misanthropic are to be expected, but for judges to ban an entire party over it is not believable or constitutional.
Notably, the AfD is now polling in first place for the first time ever, and in some polls has reached 26 percent. It is currently the second-largest party in the Bundestag and the largest opposition party.
The BfV is a highly partisan organization. Run by President Thomas Haldenwang (CDU), he reports to the head of the Interior Ministry, Nancy Faeser (SPD). Both parties have a vested interest in removing the AfD as competition in the democratic process.
Regardless of a ban, the “extremist” classification from the BfV is a powerful blow against the party, as it enables the BfV to surveil members with impunity, including chats and emails. It also means civil servants cannot be members of the party, including police officers. In addition, the BfV can now install informants in the party, who can make extremist statements and tarnish the party’s reputation, all without the AfD knowing who is an informant and who is not. In short, it is a massive tool of intimidation and fear using Stasi-like methods with 21st-century technology, including AI tracking and monitoring.
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