Irene Mihalic opposes early demands for banning AfD.
Just yesterday, the Higher Administrative Court in Münster decided that the AfD can be considered a potential right-wing extremist party. Irene Mihalic, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Greens, expressed caution about advocating for a ban.
Unlike some of her fellow Green Party leaders in the German states, Mihalic doesn't think talking about banning the AfD right now is appropriate. If at any point the AfD becomes classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group, she says, it's important to carefully consider both the pros and cons before moving forward. In her estimation, it doesn't make sense for anyone to publicly push for a ban unless the likelihood of success is clear and there's a general agreement on the issue across all political parties.
The host of the event, Felor Badenberg, who is the Senator for Justice in Berlin, also voiced concerns about the AfD. She views the party as a serious threat and mentioned "troubling survey results." To address this, she believes that more substantial debates, stronger problem-solving abilities, and less citing of Sunday speeches are the way to go. She agrees with Mihalic that discussing a ban at this moment in time would be inadvisable.
The court in Münster made their decision on Monday to allow the classification of the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist party by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Thomas Haldenwang, the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, stated that he doesn't believe this ruling will significantly change anything.
During the Berlin discussion event, he was asked if his agency was already producing an expert opinion on whether or not to label the AfD as a confirmed right-wing extremist organisation. Haldenwang explained that they'll first need to wait for and assess the written justifications provided by the court before considering any further actions. Only after reviewing those reasons can they determine potential next steps.
Members of the Greens in Rhineland-Palatinate were openly in favor of a ban proceeding following the Münster verdict. Berlin's Green Party Chairwomen, Nina Stahr and Philmon Ghirmai, stated that the AfD poses a threat to democracy and millions of people, thus a ban application must be submitted right away.
Only the Bundestag, Bundesrat, and Federal Government are permitted to initiate a party ban. The final decision on such an application lies with the Federal Constitutional Court.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
Source: www.ntv.de
