AfD Appeals Surveillance Ruling in Bid to Protect Free Speech
On August 22, 2025, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) announced that it has filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court in response to a ruling from the Higher Administrative Court of Münster, which permitted domestic intelligence agencies to classify and monitor the party as suspected of extremism, reports 24brussels.
The AfD previously faced a setback when its appeal to the Federal Administrative Court was rejected, prompting the party to seek a constitutional challenge.
“The ruling by the Higher Administrative Court of Münster cannot stand in a state governed by the rule of law, as it infringes on the freedom of opinion of our members and labels constitutionally lawful positions as hostile to the constitution,” said AfD co-leaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel in a statement.
They further emphasized, “Since the Federal Administrative Court has not resolved the case, we are pursuing the path of a constitutional appeal. The AfD will use all legal means to protect our members from the state’s unfounded insults and from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution,” referring to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.
The classification of the AfD as a “suspected case” of extremism enables the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to deploy resources and methods, including informants, for monitoring the party that it would otherwise not have the authority to use.
For three years, the dispute between the AfD and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has persisted. In May, the agency indicated concerns regarding extremist tendencies and actions against the constitutional order within the party. However, this classification has been temporarily suspended while the case is under consideration by the Administrative Court of Cologne.
Currently, the AfD stands as the largest opposition party in Germany, competing closely with the conservative bloc formed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) in opinion polls.
