Alternative for Germany party vows to challenge extremist label in court

Leaders of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have declared their intent to challenge the recent decision to classify the party as extremist in court.

The announcement comes after Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution labeled the AfD as adhering to extremist ideology, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

In a statement, AfD leaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel expressed strong opposition to the move, arguing that the party is being publicly discredited and criminalized just ahead of the formation of the new government. Excerpts from the statement have been widely reported by European media outlets.

“The AfD is being unfairly targeted with defamatory claims, and we will continue to defend ourselves in court against these accusations,” the statement said.

The leaders emphasized that such actions put democracy itself at risk. While the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution cited the AfD’s extremist leanings as grounds for its classification, the German Ministry of the Interior clarified that this does not automatically lead to a ban on the party.

By Naila Huseynova