A court in Cologne has dealt a significant blow to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, ruling that it may not, for now, classify the opposition Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” organisation.
In a decision published on Thursday, February 26th, the Administrative Court said that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) must await the outcome of the main legal proceedings before treating the party as “gesichert rechtsextremistisch”—a designation that would allow expanded surveillance powers and further embolden calls for a party ban.
