Since 2018, the AfD (Alternative for Germany) party has been a democratically elected party in the Bavarian state parliament. However, the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) has observed that party members are increasingly seeking connections with extremist groups.
Members of the AfD are increasingly seeking contacts with extremists, according to findings by the Bavarian Verfassungsschutz. “The AfD’s networking with the extremist milieu has increased both qualitatively and quantitatively,” said Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) in Munich.
One example is the collaboration with the Identitarian Movement and the Compact Magazine, which was banned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior in mid-July. According to the Ministry, the magazine aggressively opposes the liberal democratic order in Germany.
Court allows continued monitoring of AfD in Bavaria: Legal challenge dismissed
The Bavarian Verfassungsschutz has been monitoring the AfD since the summer of 2022 to determine whether the party as a whole is driven by an anti-constitutional agenda. The monitoring does not include all officials and members. It remains unclear whether this observation will lead to a ban on the party. The AfD views this surveillance as an attempt by the government to discredit a critical opposition.
The AfD attempted to challenge the monitoring legally but was unsuccessful. In July, the Munich Administrative Court dismissed the AfD’s lawsuit against the observation and reporting. As a result, the Verfassungsschutz is allowed to continue monitoring the AfD as a whole and provide factual information to the public.
Another group under surveillance, according to Herrmann, is the party “The Third Way.” The party has significantly intensified its youth outreach, particularly through the “National Revolutionary Youth,” which engages in activities like joint leisure and sports events, including combat sports training. “The goal is to bind young men to the party and gradually indoctrinate them ideologically,” Herrmann explained.
