- Report: Bavarian AfD links up with extremists
Members of the AfD are increasingly seeking contact with extremists, according to findings by the Bavarian Constitutional Protection Agency. "The networking of the AfD with the extremist fringe has increased both qualitatively and quantitatively," said Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) in Munich.
An example of this is the cooperation with the Identitarian Movement, among others, or the "Compact" magazine, which has been banned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior since mid-July. According to the findings of the Federal Ministry, the magazine is aggressively fighting against the liberal democratic order.
The Bavarian Constitutional Protection Agency has been observing the AfD since summer 2022 to clarify whether it is dominated by an anti-constitutional basic tendency as a whole party. The observation order does not cover all functionaries and members. However, whether the observation will lead to a ban procedure is completely open. The AfD evaluates the observation as an attempt by the government to defame a critical opposition.
In the meantime, the AfD tried to defend itself against the observation with legal means - without success. The Administrative Court of Munich rejected the AfD's lawsuit against the observation and reporting in July. This means that the Constitutional Protection Agency may continue to observe the AfD as a whole party and inform the public about it in a factual manner.
According to Herrmann, the party "The Third Way" is also in the focus of the constitutional protectors. Here, there is a noticeable increase in youth work, for example with joint leisure and sports activities such as combat sports training. "The goal is to bind young men to the party and gradually indoctrinate them ideologically."
The Commission has been monitoring the AfD as a whole party since summer 2022, as revealed by the Bavarian Constitutional Protection Agency. The Federal Ministry of the Interior also identified issues with the "Compact" magazine associated with the AfD, leading to its ban due to its aggressive opposition to the liberal democratic order.
