Lower Saxony’s domestic intelligence agency will monitor the Alternative for Germany (AfD) state chapter as a “surveillance object of considerable import” in the area of right‑wing extremism, state Interior Minister Daniela Behrens and Verfassungsschutz head Dirk Pejril said at a Tuesday press conference.
Behrens said the intelligence evaluation was clear: the greatest threat to society comes from right‑wing extremism and the AfD’s Lower Saxony chapter can be assigned to that area. She accused the party of treating the state and democratic institutions with contempt, portraying people with migratory backgrounds as second‑class citizens and unapologetically promoting the idea of “remigration” of millions of people from society’s core. Given those findings, she said continued surveillance by the state Verfassungsschutz was a logical step.
The AfD won 11% of the vote in Lower Saxony’s 2022 regional election and is currently the second‑largest opposition party in the state. Pejril said the party often presents a more moderate public image in the state, where left‑leaning parties govern, but does not distance itself from extremist forces. He said officials within the party either support, spread or sometimes actively approach extremist actors and their ideologies.
The designation upgrades the state AfD from level 2 to level 3 on the Verfassungsschutz’s three‑step observation scale, effectively labeling the chapter a “certified right‑wing extremist” or an “extremist endeavor.” That lowers the threshold for surveillance, permits the use of undercover informants and simplifies telecommunications monitoring. Behrens noted that extremists cannot serve as public employees, so the new status will require checking individual cases for suitability for public service.
Several other AfD state chapters and the federal party have already received similar designations. The AfD is challenging those labels in court at the national level and in some states.
On the question of banning the party, Behrens—of the Social Democrats, whose members have advocated seeking an outlawing bid—said she did not consider a state‑level ban attempt productive. The AfD operates nationwide, so any realistic attempt would need to be launched collectively by the Bundestag, Bundesrat and federal government to have a chance of success, she argued.
Behrens said the state’s priorities after the upgraded designation are threefold: uncover extremists, disarm them, and dismiss them from public service. “We will not permit our democracy and our society upheld by respect of fundamental values to be destabilized and turned inside out,” she said.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar