German Democracy Is in Peril

There are serious efforts to ban Alternative for Germany (AfD), the leading opposition movement on the right and the country’s most popular party.

Mainstream parties aim to ban AfD for the “crime” of believing that Germans exist and deserve a homeland.

The spy agency has assembled a more than 1100-page report with supposed evidence, yet they keep this report secret.

The legal procedure likely will take several years , but it could be completed before the next regular date for federal elections in 2029 .

Some leaders have invoked tactical arguments against the move: AfD might gain further support in the short term from citizens who are enraged about the suppression of opposition and free speech.

Others point to legal hazards: It is not guaranteed that the court in Karlsruhe would follow the request to ban AfD.