Germany’s domestic intelligence service has formally classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a “proven right-wing extremist organization,” a legal designation that authorizes sweeping surveillance capabilities.
As the largest opposition party in the Bundestag, AfD now holds the distinction of being the first party with national representation in modern German history to receive such a classification. The decision comes at a time when AfD is surging in popularity, having just led national polls.
The AfD responded by calling the move an attack on democratic principles. Party leaders described the classification as politically charged and an effort to suppress dissent. A wave of international political figures and prominent voices also condemned the decision.
The classification grants the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) the authority to apply Germany’s most intrusive intelligence-gathering powers against AfD.
These include covert data collection, social media surveillance, and monitoring of private communications, as outlined under Germany’s G-10 Law and Section 8 of the Federal Act on the Protection of the Constitution. These powers are triggered under the third and most severe tier of the country’s extremism monitoring framework.
While the BfV does not publicly detail all methods tied to each tier, its official documentation confirms that such measures may include the interception of messages and telecommunications, along with surveillance of online behavior and other covert activities. These forms of intelligence gathering can be conducted without notifying the individuals being watched.
The road to this designation has been building for several years. In 2021, the BfV labeled AfD a “suspected extremist case,” a classification that permits preliminary surveillance under the second tier of the government’s legal framework.
That same year, Germany’s courts allowed the BfV to proceed despite challenges from AfD. In 2023, the BfV escalated its scrutiny by classifying the AfD youth wing, Junge Alternative, as an extremist entity.
The agency’s justification stems from a 2021 report spanning more than 1,200 pages, portions of which were released by Netzpolitik in early 2025. The document defends the surveillance of political parties when deemed necessary to preserve Germany’s “free democratic basic order,” even though such actions inherently curtail the ability of parties to function free from state monitoring.
While German officials have defended the move, citing constitutional duties to combat threats to democracy, the backlash has exposed sharp divisions over the balance between state security and civil liberties. The German Foreign Office responded to criticism by stating, “We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.”
With AfD continuing to gain electoral ground, the intensification of state surveillance powers is likely to remain a flashpoint within Germany and far beyond its borders.
By granting the BfV authority to initiate the most invasive level of state surveillance, the German government could soon have grounds to monitor the communications, activities, and affiliations of not just party leadership, but rank-and-file members, employees, and even supporters.
This raises serious concerns about the erosion of democratic norms, particularly the principle that political opposition should operate free from undue state interference. The fact that this designation comes as AfD leads national polls deepens fears that surveillance powers are being weaponized against political rivals under the guise of national security.
More broadly, this sets a chilling precedent in which public support for a legal political movement can effectively trigger expanded government scrutiny of private lives and political affiliations.
