German intelligence must pause extremist label for AfD

"Following examination under the summary procedure, it cannot currently be established that the applicant, as a whole, is dominated by the positions discussed above. Judges found that while there was evidence of potentially unconstitutional statements and policies within the AfD, including demands to ban the Muslim call to prayer or minarets, there was not sufficient evidence to characterize the party as a whole as extremist."

"The AfD is the country's second largest party in nationwide polling and Germany's largest opposition party. Youth groups and individual members of the party have openly expressed views considered unconstitutional in Germany, in particular distinguishing between 'ethnic Germans' and Germans with migrant roots, sparking widespread calls for the party to be banned."

"The AfD as well as allies such as the Trump administration in the US blasted the 'extremist' designation as undemocratic and a repression of free speech. The decision bars the BfV from expanding its powers to surveil the party."

A Cologne administrative court issued an emergency injunction requiring Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to cease referring to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as 'confirmed right-wing extremist' until the designation's legality is determined. The BfV classified the AfD as extremist in May 2025, prompting the party to file the injunction. The court found evidence of potentially unconstitutional statements within the AfD, including demands to ban Muslim calls to prayer and minarets, but determined insufficient evidence to characterize the entire party as extremist. The injunction remains valid until a final ruling is delivered. As Germany's second-largest party and largest opposition party, the AfD's classification has significant political implications, with the party and international allies contesting the designation as undemocratic.

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