On the 2nd, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution announced it has officially classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a far-right organization, which will now be monitored at the federal level.
According to German law, being classified as a far-right organization by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution does not automatically lead to legal sanctions or party bans, but intelligence agencies will conduct financial investigations and communications monitoring.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution stated that members of AfD commonly oppose the 'basic order of liberal democracy,' and its politicians have continually incited the public against accepting refugees and immigrants.
The statement said: 'We have concluded that the Alternative for Germany is a resolute far-right organization. This conclusion is based on an expert review that lasted around three years and was extremely cautious.'
The Alternative for Germany responded by stating that this was a 'purely political decision.'
AfD Deputy Chair Brandner, in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, strongly criticized the Federal Office's decision.
He said that the decision is unrelated to law and order, but was made as a 'purely political decision' by other parties to engage in political struggle against the AfD.
In the German Federal Election (Bundestag lower house elections) held in February, the Alternative for Germany ranked second with about 20.8% of the vote.
A latest poll published by the German Forsa Institute on April 29 shows that the AfD's support rate is 26%, surpassing the Union parties' 24%, making it currently the party with the highest support rate in Germany.