The eastern German state of Brandenburg has classified the regional branch of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a ‘proven right-wing extremist’ organization.
This decision stems from a report by the state’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which accuses the AfD of pursuing anti-democratic goals and undermining constitutional institutions.
The classification upgrades the party from a suspected case, a status it has held since 2020.
Brandenburg’s far-left Interior Minister Rene Wilke (Die Linke) presented the findings during a press conference in Potsdam on August 14, 2025.
He stated that the AfD’s actions show a clear intent to weaken the democratic state and its structures, despite the party’s denials.
Wilke emphasized the use of legal tools to address the party’s so-called ‘anti-constitutional path’ or impose consequences.
The 140-page report details what it calls AfD’s ‘xenophobic’ positions, including an ethnocultural view of the German people that excludes certain immigrants and Muslims.
It highlights statements from AfD officials that challenge democratic legitimacy and depict migration in apocalyptic terms to heighten social tensions.
Contacts with other right-wing extremist groups have intensified since 2020, the document claims.
Wilfried Peters, head of Brandenburg’s intelligence agency, described the AfD’s rhetoric as a direct attack on democracy and the rule of law.
He noted that the party promotes discrimination and exclusion, shifting public discourse toward contempt for state institutions.
Peters added that not all AfD members are extremists, but key cadres and supporters exhibit fanaticism within self-contained information networks.
AfD parliamentary group leader Hans-Christoph Berndt criticized the report as biased and judgmental rather than objective.
He argued that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution poses a danger to democracy and vowed to challenge the classification in court.
Berndt claimed the assessment stems from hostility toward the AfD and lacks evidence of unacceptable extremism.
Dennis Hohloch, the AfD parliamentary group’s managing director, viewed the report as evidence of political control and abuse by the intelligence agency.
He stated that the office selectively targets disliked groups with extremist labels. Hohloch maintained that the classification does not prove right-wing radicalism in the party.
This marks the fourth German state to classify its AfD branch as right-wing extremist, following Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.
These eastern states are where the AfD enjoys exceedingly strong support, often polling above 30 percent.
Nationally, the AfD secured second place in the February 2025 federal elections with 20.8 percent of the vote, gaining 152 seats in parliament.
In May 2025, Germany’s federal intelligence agency designated the entire AfD as right-wing extremist, citing its concept of citizenship incompatible with democratic principles.
A court upheld this federal classification after the AfD’s legal challenge. The decision allows expanded surveillance, such as informants and monitoring, on the party.
AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla called the federal label politically motivated and a blow to democracy.
Recent polls show the AfD as Germany’s leading party, at 26 percent national support, ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats at 24 percent.
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