Germany's Foreign Ministry has defended its decision to classify the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as far-right, despite fierce criticism from the White House. US Vice President JD Vance accused German "bureaucrats" of rebuilding the Berlin Wall, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the decision "masked tyranny."
In an unusual reaction, the German Foreign Ministry responded directly to Rubio on the X platform, writing: "We have learned from our history that right-wing extremism must be stopped."
The decision was made by the intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), which stressed that the AfD's stance on ethnicity and descent is contrary to Germany's democratic order, writes A2 CNN. The AfD was already classified as extremist in three eastern states where it enjoys high support, but now this label has been extended to the national level.
The AfD came in second in the February federal election with 20.8% of the vote and won 152 seats in the Bundestag. The party's leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, called the decision "politically motivated" and "a serious blow to German democracy."
The new classification gives authorities more powers to monitor the party, including wiretapping and undercover agents. It has sparked fresh debate about banning the AfD, especially ahead of a vote in the Bundestag to confirm conservative leader Friedrich Merz as chancellor, who is expected to lead a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD).
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil warned that banning the AfD is a real possibility: "They want another country, they want to destroy our democracy. And we have to take this very seriously." (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
