https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/13/afd-party-ban-germany-far-right-extremists/ Jump to content UK News Website of the Year * News * Sport * Business * Opinion * Ukraine * Money * Royals * Life * Style * Travel * Culture * Puzzles [UK-SVG] UK Edition * [USA-SVG] US Edition Subscribe now Free for one month Log in See all News * UK news + UK news home + Scotland + Wales + Northern Ireland * Politics + Conservatives + Brexit + Labour + Lib Dems + SNP + US politics * World + US News + Europe + Middle East + Asia + Australasia + Africa + Latin America * Health * Defence * Science * Education * Environment * Investigations + Investigations home + Signals Network + Contact us * Global Health Security + Global Health Security home + Climate & People + Science & Disease + Terror & Security + Women & Girls + Opinion & Analysis Sections [UK-SVG] UK Edition * [USA-SVG] US Edition * News + News home + UK news + Politics + World + Health + Defence + Science + Education + Environment + Investigations + Global Health Security * Sport + Sport home + Football + Women's World Cup + Rugby Union + Cricket + F1 + Tennis + Golf + Women's Sport + Racing + Cycling + Boxing + More... * Business + Business home + Alex + Economy + Companies + Markets + Tech * Opinion + Opinion home + Obituaries + Letters to the Editor + Telegraph View + Our columnists + Cartoons + * Ukraine + Ukraine home + Daily podcast + Daily newsletter * Money + Money home + Investing + Property + Pensions + Banking + Tax + Household bills + Net Zero + Financial Solutions + More... * Royals + Royals home + King Charles III + Queen Camilla + Prince William + Princess of Wales + Prince Harry + Duchess of Sussex + * Life + Life home + Family + Columnists + Cookbook + Food & Drink + Health & Fitness + Tel Mag + Cars + Puzzle News + Gardening + Recommended * Style + Style home + Fashion + Beauty + Luxury + Interiors + Weddings * Travel + Travel home + UK holidays + Dream Trips + Destinations + City guides + Hotels + Cruises + Rail + Adventure + Luxury + Ask the experts + * Culture + Culture home + TV + Film + Music + Books + Theatre + Opera + Art + Gaming + Hit lists + Telegraph Tickets + More... * Puzzles * [UK-SVG] UK Edition + [USA-SVG] US Edition Subscribe now Free for one month Log in Follow us on: * * * * * * More from The Telegraph * Download our app * Newsletters * Telegraph Extra * Wine Cellar * Recommended * Financial Solutions * Events * Betting * Dating * Offers * Shop * Garden shop * Bookshop * Tickets * Puzzles * Fantasy Football * Work at The Telegraph * Telegraph Corporate * Help and support * The Chelsea Magazine Company * Broadband and Mobile Deals * Voucher codes See top shops + Samsung + Nike + ASOS + eBay + Currys + Wayfair + TUI + JD Sports + Travelodge + Adidas + Broadband deals + Cheap broadband + Broadband in my area + Broadband and TV deals + Mobile deals + SIM-only deals Germany considers ban on far-Right AfD Call to 'defend democracy' as party surges to 21pc in opinion polls By James Jackson Lodz 13 August 2023 * 3:18pm Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, co-chairmen of Alternative for Germany Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, co-chairmen of Alternative for Germany Credit: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa via AP Germany is debating whether to ban the far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as the party surges to 21 per cent in the polls, amid warnings from intelligence officials that its members are becoming increasingly extreme. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, warned in a speech to the country's domestic intelligence agency that "we all have it in our hands to put those who despise our democracy in their place". His speech at the castle where the German post-war constitution was created has widely been seen as support for a ban after Thomas Haldenwang, the domestic spy chief, warned about growing Right-wing extremist influence in the party. Mr Haldenwang said: "We see a considerable number of protagonists in this party that spread hate against all types of minorities here in Germany." It comes amid warnings of the increasing influence of Bjorn Hocke, the leader of the AfD in the eastern state of Thuringia. Mr Hocke, a former history teacher, is known for his Hitler-esque language - with his allies sweeping the board for European lists at the party's conference in Magdeburg in August. In a rare move, the respected Der Spiegel news magazine weighed into the debate with a leader titled: "Ban the enemies of the constitution!" It warned that "the AfD has become more and more radicalised. It's time to defend democracy with better weapons". The co-leader of Olaf Scholz's ruling Social Democrats also said a ban should be considered if the AfD is categorised as a group of "proven Right-wing extremists" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. However Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, warned that "banning parties has never actually solved political problems". AfD on the rise Meanwhile, the German Institute for Human Rights, a non-governmental organisation, declared last week that "the AfD have reached a degree of dangerousness that they can be banned according to the constitution". They warned in an analysis that the party is actively and methodically trying "to implement its racist and Right-wing extremist goals" and "shifting the limits of what can be said so that people can get used to their ethno-nationalist positions". Germany has a troubled history of parties being banned, with Otto von Bismarck, the country's first chancellor, banning the Social Democrats for disloyalty to the Kaiser. When the Nazis came to power, they banned all other parties. The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) also banned other parties not affiliated with the ruling Socialist Unity Party. The post-war German constitution, keen to avoid this authoritarian excess, made a party ban legally difficult. Attempts to ban the neo-nazi NPD party in 2003 and 2017 both failed at the highest court. Volker Boehme-Nessler, a political scientist, said he does not believe the party meets the high legal hurdles for a ban. He warned that a failed attempt would only give the AfD an additional boost in the election campaign, he told eastern German broadcaster MDR. "You can't simply ban a party that gets 20-30 per cent approval" in various states, he added. Germans are evenly split on whether the party should be banned, with 47 per cent of the country in favour of a ban and 47 per cent against. A ban is more popular in the west and among liberal Greens. Related Topics * Alternative for Germany (AfD), * Germany, * European Union, * Nazis, * Extremism * * * * Comments The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Find out more here. Log In Subscribe Show comments Advertisement More stories Related Topics * Alternative for Germany (AfD), * Germany, * European Union, * Nazis, * Extremism * * * * More from News * PSNI support worker no longer attends his child's Gaelic football training after data breach By Catherine Lough 13 Aug 2023, 11:51pm More than 1,000 police officers and staff referred to an emergency threat assessment group * Council didn't tell ministers about migrant barge Legionella for three days By Charles Hymas 13 Aug 2023, 11:13pm Bibby Stockholm barge Portland Port Dorset asylum seekers migrant crisis * NHS in Labour-run Wales sees 40pc rise in patients seeking treatment in England By Amy Gibbons 13 Aug 2023, 10:00pm Patients in Labour-run Wales have to wait longer for healthcare thanm those in England * Donald Trump facing potential fourth indictment By David Millward 13 Aug 2023, 9:54pm Donald Trump faces fourth indictment over demands to officials to 'find' votes * 'Takeaway pints here to stay' as Government keeps Covid-era law By Telegraph Reporters 13 Aug 2023, 9:54pm Customers carry their takeaway draught beer in plastic cups from a pub in Broadway Market, London * Top universities 'likely to shun British teenagers in favour of foreign students' By Louisa Clarence-Smith 13 Aug 2023, 9:50pm Students More from The Telegraph Back to top Follow us on: * * * * * * * Help Centre * About us * Telegraph Extra * Reader Prints * Branded Content * Syndication and Commissioning * Guidelines * Privacy * Terms and Conditions * Advertising Terms * Fantasy Sport * UK Voucher Codes * Betting Offers * Modern Slavery * Tax Strategy * Broadband and Mobile Deals * Wine Cellar * The Chelsea Magazine Company * (c) Telegraph Media Group Limited 2023