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Investing.com -- The German far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), has filed a lawsuit against the domestic intelligence agency’s decision to categorize it as an extremist organization.
The administrative court in Cologne confirmed the submission of the lawsuit and a related emergency petition, which will be examined once the BfV domestic intelligence agency confirms its notification.
The extremist classification, announced on Friday, permits the intelligence agency to intensify its surveillance of the AfD, which is currently the largest opposition party in the German parliament. This could involve recruiting informants and intercepting party communications.
The intelligence agency’s comprehensive 1,100-page expert report, which is not intended for public release, identified the AfD as a racist and anti-Muslim organization.
With this classification, the German parliament may now consider limiting or completely stopping public funding for the AfD. Furthermore, the incoming government will assess the possibility of an outright ban of the party, as stated by SPD leader Lars Klingbeil last week.
The AfD has criticized this designation, calling it a politically driven attempt to discredit and criminalize the party. The lawsuit was filed just a day before the conservative leader Friedrich Merz is expected to be elected as the chancellor by Germany’s lower house of parliament. This comes amidst a heated intra-party debate on how to handle the AfD.
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