Germany’s security services on Friday officially designated the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party a “confirmed right-wing extremist organization.” This designation is significant as it opens the door to a future ban of the AfD, the largest opposition party in Germany, which finished second in the country’s most recent parliamentary election and is currently leading in opinion polls. 

Should the label be upheld in courts, the German security services will also have an increased ability to spy on the party. 

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AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla condemned the decision in a joint statement. “Today’s decision by the Office of the Protection of the Constitution is a severe blow to German Democracy,” the statement read, continuing, “In current polls, the AfD is the strongest force.”

The American Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance have condemned the decision. 

“Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition,” Rubio stated in a post on X. “That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.”