Lower Saxony’s domestic intelligence service will place the regional chapter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) under intensified monitoring as a ‘surveillance object of considerable import’ in the area of right‑wing extremism, state Interior Minister Daniela Behrens and Verfassungsschutz chief Dirk Pejril announced at a Tuesday press conference.
Behrens said the agency’s assessment was clear: the biggest threat to society in the state comes from right‑wing extremism, and the AfD’s Lower Saxony branch falls within that sphere. She accused the chapter of showing contempt for the state and democratic institutions, portraying people with migration backgrounds as second‑class citizens, and openly promoting the idea of ‘remigration’ of millions of people. Based on those findings, she said continued surveillance by the state Verfassungsschutz was a logical step.
The AfD took 11% of the vote in the 2022 Lower Saxony regional election and is currently the second‑largest opposition party in the state. Pejril said the party often presents a milder public image in Lower Saxony, where left‑of‑center parties govern, but does not distance itself from extremist influences. He told reporters that officials within the party either support, disseminate or in some cases actively engage with extremist actors and their ideologies.
The decision upgrades the state AfD from level 2 to level 3 on the Verfassungsschutz’s three‑step observation scale, effectively designating the chapter as a certified right‑wing extremist or extremist endeavor. That change lowers the threshold for surveillance, allows the use of undercover informants and simplifies telecommunications monitoring. Behrens noted that extremists are barred from public employment, so the new status will trigger suitability reviews for individuals in public service.
Several other AfD state chapters and the federal party have already received similar classifications; the AfD is challenging those designations in court at the national level and in some states. On the question of banning the party, Behrens—a Social Democrat—said a state‑level ban would be unproductive because the AfD operates nationwide. Any realistic prohibition, she argued, would need to be pursued collectively by the Bundestag, Bundesrat and federal government.
Behrens said the state’s priorities after the upgraded designation are to uncover extremists, disarm them and remove 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