Lindner opposes AFD banning process.
The topic of prohibiting the AfD has resurfaced once more. Finance Minister Christian Lindner has now shared his thoughts on the matter, expressing hesitation. He worries that if the attempt to ban the party fails, it could actually benefit the AfD instead of harming them.
The FDP chairman, Christian Lindner, is opposed to efforts to have the AfD banned by the Federal Constitutional Court. "The threshold for prohibiting a party is incredibly high. We shouldn't let the AfD off the hook by dismissing their ban request," explained the Finance Minister in an interview with Funke Mediengruppe newspapers. "Persilschein" refers to a certificate of innocence given after World War II to people who were potentially implicated in Nazi activities, such as membership in the NSDAP. According to Lindner, debating with the AfD within a democratic framework is important so they don't get to portray themselves as victims.
The rekindled debate surrounding banning the AfD stems from a recent ruling by the Higher Administrative Court in North Rhine-Westphalia, based in Münster. On Monday, the court ruled that the AfD being classified as a suspected right-wing extremist organization by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is legal, allowing the office to use intelligence services to monitor the party.
Lindner reassured that efforts need to be made to win over AfD voters. "Rather than condemning them with a finger-wagging approach, we should offer viable solutions," added the FDP leader. Many individuals voted for the AfD due to their discontent with uncontrolled immigration during Angela Merkel's tenure as Chancellor. Now, however, a more practical approach to European refugee policy is emerging.
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Christian Lindner, as the Finance Minister and FDP chairman, has expressed his opposition to the banning of the AfD, stating that the high threshold for party prohibition should not be used to dismiss their ban request. In response to the Higher Administrative Court's ruling that classified the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist organization, Lindner emphasized the importance of engaging with the AfD within a democratic framework to prevent them from portraying themselves as victims.
Source: www.ntv.de
