Eklat in Brandenburg: Delivered by the Protection of the Constitution for AfD classification!

Eklat in Brandenburg: Delivered by the Protection of the Constitution for AfD classification!

Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Deutschland - On May 8, 2025, the Interior Minister of Brandenburg, Katrin Lange (SPD), the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jörg Müller. The reason for this drastic measure is the controversial classification of the alternative for Germany (AfD) as "secured right -wing extremist". Long that announced the decision on Wednesday is confronted with the fact that the AfD was previously only conducted as a suspected case, with some MPs already classified as a right -wing extremist. This reassessment reflects the growing concern regarding right -wing extremism in Brandenburg, which is also becoming more important at a national level.

The AfD has been classified as a suspicion since summer 2020 and could therefore be observed. Last Friday, the federal party was also classified as secured right -wing extremist. In other federal states such as Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, this classification has been in effect for a long time. The development not only caused excitement in Brandenburg, but also at the federal level. Felix Banaszak, the federal chairman of the Greens, criticizes the SPD for its approach and accuses the party of not taking the greatest threat to democracy seriously.

events related to classification

In the center of the controversy there is a note that Müller signed on April 14 to classify the AfD as secured right -wing extremist. Long claimed to have only received the complete note on May 5th. However, this was later corrected by the Ministry as not correct. In fact, the expert opinion has long been informed about the classification. Her predecessor, Michael Stübgen (CDU), had held back the decision to graduate before the state election, which further fueled the allegations against the SPD. Müller informed about the classification on April 10, but for a long time it declined to publicly announce the decision. Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke stated not to have been informed about the high classification.

The dismissal of Jörg Müller caused a sensation not only in Brandenburg, but also in the state's political landscape. Critics fear that such decisions could endanger trust in the state institutions and their independence.

right -wing extremism in Germany: The current numbers

The problem of right -wing extremism is underpinned by current data from the protection of the constitution. According to the 2023 report, there are currently around 40,600 people who can be assigned to the right -wing extremist spectrum. This is an increase of 1,800 people compared to the previous year. In addition, the right -wing extremist crimes rose to 25,660, which corresponds to an increase of 22.4 % compared to 2022

The number of right -wing extremist violent acts is 1,148, which is an increase of 13.0 % compared to the previous year. An alarming trend is also evident in the assault offenses with xenophobic background, which rose to 874 cases in 2023. The topic of migration and asylum is becoming increasingly important in the right -wing extremist groups and their activities.

The developments in Brandenburg and the alarming figures on right -wing extremism in Germany clearly show that more intensive use of this topic is necessary to ensure democracy and social peace.