Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

According to SPIEGEL, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has declared the entire AfD a suspected case of right-wing extremism. This means that the agency can also observe the party using intelligence means.

However, in an ongoing legal dispute before the Cologne Administrative Court, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has committed itself to refrain from intelligence surveillance of members of the federal, state and European parliaments for the time being. The same applies to candidates in the upcoming elections in 2021.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) is also currently not allowed to disclose its classification as a "suspected case".

The basis for the observation of the entire AfD is a roughly 1000-page report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Since the beginning of 2019, the office's lawyers and experts on right-wing extremism have compiled a great deal of evidence of suspected violations of the free democratic order.

According to SPIEGEL information, the report is to provide evidence that the AfD violates the guarantee of human dignity and the principle of democracy in the Basic Law. Several hundred speeches and statements by officials at all party levels are to serve as evidence.

The Saxony state association of the AfD (Alternative for Germany) has been classified as a case of observation by the German State Office for the Protection of the Constitution due to increasing right-wing movements.

While the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution does not want to decide on a formal classification until the beginning of next year, the third state association alongside Brandenburg and Thuringia is now a case for the security authorities.

Intelligence means can now also be used.

Staff shortages at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution could become a security risk. Due to additional tasks such as the security check for other authorities (e.g. Federal Police), the internal security check for employees can only be carried out with a considerable delay.

The checks can be delayed for up to four years which could pose significant risks in the integrity of the authority.