Germany labels Saxony branch of far-right AfD as extremist
Germany's domestic intelligence agency said Friday that it had classified a state branch of the far-right AfD party as a "confirmed" extremist organisation, citing its efforts to undermine democracy and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
The chapter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Saxony is the third local branch of the party to be given the label, after those in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
The classification gives intelligence services extra powers to monitor the groups, lowering the barriers for intercepting telephone calls and using undercover agents.
The move comes as the AfD is surging in popularity in Europe's most populous country, tapping into concerns over rising migration, high inflation and a stumbling economy.
Announcing the latest move, Saxony state's intelligence chief Dirk-Martin Christian said it had been "proven beyond doubt that the AfD state organisation is pursuing anti-constitutional goals".
The agency, which monitored the local chapter for four years, accused senior members of making "right-wing extremist statements".
When it came to immigration, the party's approach would lead to migrants and ethnic minorities being disparaged, and was in breach of the German constitution, the agency said.
READ ALSO: Germany steps up surveillance of far-right AfD party branch
This "racist" attitude has its roots in Nazi ideology, it said. The Saxony AfD branch also has an anti-Semitic stance, the agency said.
The agency further said the local chapter was seeking to undermine Germany's "basic political order", using terms such as "dictatorship" to refer to the government.
AfD Saxony's aim was "to fundamentally shake the population's trust in the constitutional order and functioning of our democracy and to force protests and resistance," Christian said.
The AfD leader in Saxony, Joerg Urban, said the agency's decision "lacks any basis in fact" and was politically motivated ahead of local elections in the state in September.
The AfD is leading in opinion polls in the state. It is also ahead in the eastern regions of Thuringia and Brandenburg, which hold elections the same month.
Created in 2013 as an anti-euro outfit before seizing on anger over mass migration to Germany, the AfD has recently had a string of successes.
In October, the party made gains in two key state elections, and has notched up other victories in smaller local votes.
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The chapter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Saxony is the third local branch of the party to be given the label, after those in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
The classification gives intelligence services extra powers to monitor the groups, lowering the barriers for intercepting telephone calls and using undercover agents.
The move comes as the AfD is surging in popularity in Europe's most populous country, tapping into concerns over rising migration, high inflation and a stumbling economy.
Announcing the latest move, Saxony state's intelligence chief Dirk-Martin Christian said it had been "proven beyond doubt that the AfD state organisation is pursuing anti-constitutional goals".
The agency, which monitored the local chapter for four years, accused senior members of making "right-wing extremist statements".
When it came to immigration, the party's approach would lead to migrants and ethnic minorities being disparaged, and was in breach of the German constitution, the agency said.
READ ALSO: Germany steps up surveillance of far-right AfD party branch
This "racist" attitude has its roots in Nazi ideology, it said. The Saxony AfD branch also has an anti-Semitic stance, the agency said.
The agency further said the local chapter was seeking to undermine Germany's "basic political order", using terms such as "dictatorship" to refer to the government.
AfD Saxony's aim was "to fundamentally shake the population's trust in the constitutional order and functioning of our democracy and to force protests and resistance," Christian said.
The AfD leader in Saxony, Joerg Urban, said the agency's decision "lacks any basis in fact" and was politically motivated ahead of local elections in the state in September.
The AfD is leading in opinion polls in the state. It is also ahead in the eastern regions of Thuringia and Brandenburg, which hold elections the same month.
Created in 2013 as an anti-euro outfit before seizing on anger over mass migration to Germany, the AfD has recently had a string of successes.
In October, the party made gains in two key state elections, and has notched up other victories in smaller local votes.
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