On May 2nd, 2025, after a comprehensive investigation the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz – BfV) reclassified the political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) from a »suspected case« (Verdachtsfall) to a »proven right-wing extremist endeavor« (gesichert rechtsextremistische Bestrebung).
This decision was based on an extensive analysis of the party’s activities, which is documented in a 1,100-page expert report compiled by the BfV. According to this report, the party’s prevailing understanding of the people, grounded in ethnic and ancestral criteria (Volksverständnis), is fundamentally incompatible with the liberal democratic order enshrined in the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz). Further information can be found here [in German].
In the news program »Hessenschau« of the regional television station »Hessischer Rundfunk« Professor Dr. Emanuel V. Towfigh gave an interview and provided a legal assessment of the reclassification, focusing in particular on the possibility of initiating proceedings to ban the party. He emphasized, among other points, that the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany enshrines the principle of a militant democracy (wehrhafte Demokratie), which includes provisions for banning political parties. In light of the threat posed to the constitutional commitment to human dignity, he argued that it is necessary for the Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) to examine whether the legal prerequisites for banning the AfD are fulfilled.
An assessment of the prospects for such a party ban procedure has been provided by Svea Alberti and Professor Dr. Emanuel V. Towfigh, available here.
The interviews in Hessenschau aired on May 2nd, 2025, at 4:45 PM and 7:30 PM and can be viewed here:
[Translated with DeepL]