A Cologne court ruled Thursday that Germany’s domestic intelligence agency cannot classify the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization while the party’s legal appeal is underway, ordering the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to wait for the outcome of full court proceedings before making such a designation public.
The Cologne Administrative Court backed the AfD's urgent application, arguing that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) must await the results of full court proceedings before publicizing its decision.
The AfD, Germany's largest far-right party, has faced severe criticism over its anti-immigrant views, leading some prominent politicians to call for it to be banned.
It has also attracted the attention of intelligence services, who have investigated whether the party's ethno-nationalist views are a threat to the country's free, constitutional order.
Last year, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution upgraded its categorization of the AfD, from a "suspected" to a "confirmed" case of right-wing extremism. The label authorizes further surveillance measures against the party.
