Germany defends AfD extremist label after U.S. backlash over ‘tyranny’ claims

Germany pushes back after U.S. criticism over AfD's extremist designation

Berlin defends democratic process amid accusations of authoritarianism from American officials

Germany’s Foreign Office has strongly defended the country’s decision to officially classify the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party as an extremist organization, following rare and pointed criticism from senior figures in the United States government.

Responding directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Foreign Office stated on social media platform X, “We have learnt from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped”—an explicit reference to Germany’s Nazi past and the foundational role of anti-extremism in its postwar political order.

U.S. Republicans lash out over AfD surveillance powers

The transatlantic row began after Rubio called the classification “tyranny in disguise” and accused Berlin of using state power to suppress political opposition. U.S. Vice President JD Vance escalated the rhetoric further, comparing the situation to the reconstruction of the Berlin Wall—this time, he said, “not by the Soviets, but by the German establishment.”

Both politicians were responding to the move by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), to label the entire AfD as a right-wing extremist organization. The classification follows years of monitoring the party’s regional chapters in eastern Germany, where support for the AfD is highest.

With this nationwide designation, authorities now gain expanded surveillance powers, including phone tapping and the use of undercover agents.

Intelligence report highlights ethnic exclusion

In its justification, the BfV cited the AfD’s “prevailing understanding of people based on ethnicity and descent,” which it said undermines Germany’s “free democratic order.” The report specifically accused the party of rejecting the equal status of citizens from predominantly Muslim countries.

The AfD, which came second in February’s federal election with 20.8% of the vote and 152 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag, has called the classification a politically motivated attack. Party co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla described it as a “severe blow to German democracy,” while deputy parliamentary leader Beatrix von Storch compared the move to tactics used by authoritarian regimes.

Germany insists move is constitutional and reviewable

Germany’s Foreign Office dismissed the criticism as unfounded and affirmed that the classification followed a “thorough and independent investigation,” which remains subject to judicial appeal. In a rare direct rebuke, Berlin used official diplomatic channels to engage with Rubio’s public statement, asserting that defending democracy sometimes requires firm action against forces seeking to undermine it.

“This is democracy,” the ministry posted, replying directly to Rubio’s X account.

Calls to ban AfD resurface as Bundestag readies for leadership vote

The BfV's decision has reignited domestic calls for an outright ban of the AfD—a move that would be unprecedented in postwar German politics. Debate is intensifying ahead of the upcoming parliamentary vote to confirm conservative CDU leader Friedrich Merz as Germany’s next chancellor in a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil, who is expected to become vice-chancellor and finance minister, told Bild newspaper that while any decision to ban the AfD would be approached cautiously, it is under serious consideration.

“They want a different country, they want to destroy our democracy,” Klingbeil said. “And we must take that very seriously.”

AfD’s ties to U.S. conservatives under scrutiny

The controversy has drawn attention to deepening ties between the AfD and influential members of the U.S. Republican Party. JD Vance met with Alice Weidel in Munich less than two weeks before Germany’s election and expressed open support for the party’s agenda during a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

The AfD has increasingly framed itself as a victim of political persecution, both at home and abroad, and is using the classification to galvanize support among its voter base. At the same time, critics warn that tolerating the party's rhetoric on ethnic purity and exclusion risks repeating the very historical mistakes Germany has worked for decades to avoid.

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