Benchmark: AfD appropriately viewed as right-wing extremist ideologue
The AfD is hit with a setback in the ongoing debate about whether they are considered a suspected case of far-right extremism by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The higher administrative court in Münster dropped an appeal made by the party.
Previously, a lower instance court made the same decision, which has now been affirmed by the higher court. This means the ruling is not yet final.
The AfD's legal team has plans to challenge this in the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.
Originally, there were three separate appeals heard by the higher administrative court in Münster: the classification of the AfD and their youth organization as suspected cases, and the classification of a Thuringian right-wing extremist's association as a confirmed extremist movement. The latter group was disbanded, but was previously thought to dominate the AfD.
The term "suspected case" refers to a preliminary stage before a group is officially classified as a confirmed extremist movement. The youth organization of the AfD was already considered a confirmed extremist movement by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and it's anticipated that they will move to classify the party as a whole in light of the Münster decision.
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The OVG decision in Munster to uphold the classification of the AfD as a suspected case of far-right extremism is a significant verdict in the ongoing debate. This verdict could potentially lead to the AfD as a whole being classified as a confirmed extremist movement under German law.
Source: www.ntv.de
