Extremism - NRW Office for the Protection of the Constitution: AfD offspring is a suspected case
The North Rhine-Westphalian Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the youth organization of the AfD, Junge Alternative (JA), in NRW as a suspected right-wing extremist organization. "There are strong indications that the Junge Alternative does not play by democratic rules, but prefers its own right-wing extremist set of rules," announced Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) on Tuesday. The NRW Office for the Protection of the Constitution is therefore monitoring the Junge Alternative from now on.
The AfD, on the other hand, spoke of "insinuations and conjecture". The allegations are now being closely examined, according to a spokesperson for the Düsseldorf state parliamentary group. The General Secretary of the NRW SPD, Frederick Cordes, accused the AfD of: "The bourgeois-conservative veneer was never more than a makeshift mask."
According to Reul, the state association of the JA NRW has ideologically aligned itself with the political course of the national association of the Junge Alternative since 2019. This is characterized by a "national-ethnic understanding of the people and xenophobia". JA NRW also advocates positions that violate the guarantee of human dignity. In particular, the aim of excluding and disparaging people with a migration background and Muslims is evident.
Advertising for the"Identitarian movement"
In recent years, JA NRW has developed into a part of the right-wing extremist movement of the New Right, reported Reul. The NRW AfD youngsters advertise on social media for the "Identitarian Movement" and its successor organizations such as "Lukreta", "Revolte Rheinland", "1 Prozent" and the "Institut für Staatspolitik".
The NRW youth organization of the AfD also provides a forum for protagonists of the New Right. People with right-wing extremist biographies are also active in the JA NRW. Another important indication is the proximity to the formally dissolved so-called wing of the AfD federal party and its ideological leader Björn Höcke.
In a suspected case, there are "sufficiently weighty factual indications" of anti-constitutional aspirations. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution can then evaluate and store personal data and, under strict conditions, use intelligence service means, such as surveillance or recruiting informants.
A dispute is currently pending at the Münster Higher Administrative Court between the AfD federal party and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution regarding the classification of the party as a suspected case of right-wing extremism. The federal association of the AfD is defending itself against a ruling at first instance. In March 2022, the Cologne Administrative Court ruled in favor of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution when it classified the AfD as a suspected case. The Federal Association of the Junge Alternative also no longer wants to be classified as a suspected case.
Reul: Political debate necessary
The decisions of the OVG in Münster in these nationwide cases are expected in the spring. The proceedings are pending in NRW because the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has its headquarters in Cologne.
The statements made by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and several state offices against the AfD and its organizations suggest that the decision on the JA was primarily politically motivated, argued the spokesperson for the AfD state parliamentary group. "The AfD is a constitutional party and stands firmly on the ground of the Basic Law". This also applies to its youth organization. "The party takes tough action against the few who cross borders, just as we have done in the past, are currently doing and will continue to do in the future."
SPD General Secretary Cordes countered: "The AfD youth organization is not based on the constitution." In fact, significant parts of the AfD are trying to undermine the democratic system. "The Junge Alternative gathers and networks radical enemies of democracy in the far-right spectrum."
Interior Minister Reul said that a political debate was necessary, regardless of the professional assessment of the AfD youth organization. "To do this, we as political leaders must make good policies for the people in this country and explain them in a reasonable way."
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- Frederick Cordes, the General Secretary of the NRW SPD, has criticized the AfD, stating that their "bourgeois-conservative veneer was never more than a makeshift mask."
- The Youth organization of the AfD in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), known as Junge Alternative (JA), has been classified as a suspected right-wing extremist organization by the North Rhine-Westphalian Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
- The AfD, in response to the classification, argued that the allegations were "insinuations and conjecture," and a spokesperson for their Düsseldorf state parliamentary group stated that they are closely examining the situation.
- Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) announced that JA NRW has ideologically aligned itself with the national association of Junge Alternative since 2019, and this alignment is characterized by a "national-ethnic understanding of the people and xenophobia."
- The NRW Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring JA NRW due to their promotion of extremist ideologies, such as positions that violate the guarantee of human dignity and exclusion of people with a migration background and Muslims.
- Reul reported that JA NRW has developed into a part of the right-wing extremist movement of the New Right, and they advertise for the "Identitarian Movement" and its successor organizations on social media.
- The AfD is currently involved in a dispute with the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution regarding their classification as a suspected case of right-wing extremism, and the federal association of the AfD is defending itself against the ruling at first instance.
- The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has the authority to evaluate and store personal data and use intelligence service means, such as surveillance or recruiting informants, in suspected cases of anti-constitutional aspirations.
- The CDU's Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, called for a political debate regarding the classification of the AfD and its organizations, and argued that as political leaders, they must make good policies and explain them in a reasonable way to the people.
Source: www.stern.de
