Söder: Don't ban AfD, but classify it as right-wing extremist

Parties - Söder: Don't ban AfD, but classify it as right-wing extremist

CSU leader Markus Söder has spoken out against a ban on the AfD, but is in favor of a nationwide classification of the party as "definitely right-wing extremist". "The AfD despises our democracy and would cause massive damage to our security and prosperity," the Bavarian Minister President told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers. "It would help if the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution were to classify the AfD as right-wing extremist on a national level."

The AfD in Saxony was classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization on Friday. The party had previously received such a classification in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. In Saxony, it was initially a test case and has been a suspected case since February 2021. It is now being monitored by the local Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This may also involve the use of intelligence services.

Democracy has "never been in such danger in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany as it is now", warned Söder. "Destructive forces such as the AfD and the Wagenknecht group are gaining ground. The current government is showing little ability to act." By the Wagenknecht Group, Söder is referring to the alliance initiated by former left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht.

However, the CSU chairman, who is traveling to Israel on Wednesday, rejected a ban on the AfD. This would "fail just like the attempt to ban the NPD", said Söder. "We must fight the AfD politically and name and expose their absurd views."

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1. Markus Söder, the leader of Germany's Christian Social Union (CSU), has suggested that the Alliance for Germany (AfD) should be classified as a "definitely right-wing extremist" party nationwide, rather than banned.
2. The AfD in the state of Saxony was recently classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, following similar classifications in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.
3. Söder has voiced concern about the current state of democracy in Germany, arguing that destructive forces like the AfD and the Wagenknecht group are gaining ground and that the government is showing little ability to act.
4. The CSU chairman has rejected the idea of banning the AfD, stating that this approach would be ineffective, as evidenced by the failed attempt to ban the National Democratic Party (NPD) in the past.
5. The Funke Media Group reported that Söder suggested that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution should take the lead in classifying the AfD as a right-wing extremist party at the national level, for the protection of the constitution and democracy.
6. In response to these developments, some parties and political commentators have called for stronger action against the AfD, citing concerns about its influence on German society and politics.

Source: www.stern.de