A majority of Germans oppose efforts to ban the populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, with many believing that it is merely an attempt by the Berlin establishment to sideline its opposition.
In May, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s political spy agency, under the direction of then-far-left Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, ruled that the AfD is a “right-wing extremist” organisation. While the classification is currently under legal challenge, if upheld, it would allow for state surveillance of the party and potentially clear the way for the government to ban the party to supposedly protect German democracy.
However, despite consistent clamouring from leftist Social Democrat and Green politicians demanding a ban, a survey of 1,054 voters by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research has found that a substantial majority of 52 per cent of the public opposes such a draconian measure, compared to 27 per cent in favour of a ban and 21 per cent unsure, broadcaster NTV reports.
The poll found that a similar majority, 54 per cent, viewed the AfD as a right-wing extremist party, yet many also said they have AfD supporters within their friend and family groups, including 67 per cent of West Germans and 88 per cent in the AfD stronghold of former communist East Germany. Just five per cent said that they considered AfD supporters they knew personally as extremists.
In addition to personal experience, the survey showed that many opposed a potential ban of the anti-mass migration party as they saw it as an attempt by the political establishment to reduce political competition, with the AfD currently standing as the second-largest party in the Bundestag and therefore holding the distinction of serving as the government’s official opposition.
A majority of respondents were also unsure that a ban would have any meaningful impact on the political landscape, with 54 per cent saying that they would expect a similar party to form with many of the same positions should the AfD be disbanded by the state.
The survey follows warnings from Professor Andreas Rödder of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who cautioned last week that banning the country’s second-largest party could fundamentally undermine faith in German democracy.
The professor said that “a ban that would eliminate all votes for the AfD and thus lead to [a left-wing] parliamentary majority” and would be a “sure path to civil war”.
The justification for a ban of the party has also come into question, including from the former head of the same BfV political intelligence agency, which classified the party as an extremist organisation.
Former Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution chief Hans-Georg Maaßen said last month that the classification was likely a result of political pressure from the then-left-wing government and the Antifa-tied former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, to whom the agency reported at the time of the ruling.
“This is a clear case of using domestic intelligence services to suppress opposition,” Maaßen said, adding that the “BfV has been weaponised to attack political rivals in an unscrupulous way. This damages its public reputation and undermines its core mission.”
The ex-spy chief also questioned the evidence used by his former agency, which, according to a leaked copy of its report, consisted almost entirely of public comments from AfD politicians on issues such as migration.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here