German far-right AfD first parliamentary party put under surveillance by domestic intelligence service since Nazi era

[Xando]

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's BfV domestic intelligence service has formally placed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) under surveillance on suspicion of trying to undermine Germany's democratic constitution, a person briefed on the move said on Wednesday.

After four years ago becoming the first avowedly anti-immigrant party to enter the German parliament, the AfD now becomes the first party to be monitored in this way since the Nazi era ended in 1945.

It was propelled into the Bundestag in 2017 by voters angry with Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to welcome more than one million migrants. But it has been ostracised by other parties, which say its rhetoric contributes to an atmosphere of hatred that encourages violence against immigrants.

The BfV's move follows a two-year review of the AfD's political platform, and will allow the agency to eavesdrop on calls and conversations involving AfD members and scrutinise party funding.

A spokeswoman for the BfV declined to comment, citing a court case brought by the AfD, but the party was furious.

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German far-right AfD first party put under surveillance since Nazi era

Germany's BfV domestic intelligence service has formally placed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) under surveillance on suspicion of trying to undermine Germany's democratic constitution, a person briefed on the move said on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Kinthey]

Wait, was the NPD not under surveillance?

 

[SigSig]

wait, not even the NPD?

 

[Xando]

Wait, was the NPD not under surveillance?

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It was but NPD never entered the Bundestag.

Edited title for more clarity.

 

[Shelbyville Milhouse]

I'm sure that's very awkward for the AfD members that now have to monitor themselves

 

[hobblygobbly]

cue AfD supporters whine about how this is Stasi tactics and that it's undemocratic when they're actively trying to subvert democracy/our constitution in the first place

any way with state elections in my state i've been very happy seeing nearly every morning that AfD posters/signs are defaced or torn down, to see them put up the next day again new, and see them torn down again lol. fuck them all

 

[Humidex]

Good.

 

[Xando]

cue AfD supporters whine about how this is Stasi tactics and that it's undemocratic when they're actively trying to subvert democracy/our constitution in the first place

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The link already has Gauland crying about it. I just didn't want to quote his horseshit

 

[grmlin]

Finally some good news. Let's hope it leads to change.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

More money from Putin should dry them tears!

 

[Fahro]

Great! Nobody needs Adolf für Deutschland.

It wasn't a great idea back then and surely isn't a good idea now

 

[Samiya]

Unfortunately that's not going to stop those in the population who desire far-right politics.

 

[Akai]

Temporarily overruled by Cologne's adminstrative court: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...chtung-a-227cabab-94b1-41d2-a361-e27e718c3d28

Their reasoning is that putting the entire AfD under surveilance and leaking that information to the public is "unjustifiable under the constitutionally guaranteed equal opportunity of political parties".

Edit: Corrected.

 

[Maccix]

They are crying about stasi tactics while simultaneously pushing for nazi tactics. Fuck every one of them

 

[Xando]

Their reasoning is that putting the entire AfD under surveilance is "unjustifiable under the constitutionally guaranteed equal opportunity of political parties".

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No their reason is that leaking this information to the public is unjustifiable under the constitutionally guaranteed equal opportunity of political parties.

Considering there are state elections in 2 weeks i can understand the reasoning of not allowing it for now even if i don't agree with it

 

[Akai]

No their reason is that leaking this information to the public is unjustifiable under the constitutionally guaranteed equal opportunity of political parties.

Considering there are state elections in 2 weeks i can understand the reasoning of not allowing it for now even if i don't agree with it

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That's what I get for quickly glancing over the article. I stand corrected.

Fuck the decision to overrule whatsoever.

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

I don't trust the Verfassungsschutz one bit. If a straight-up Nazi like Maaßen was able to be the head of that organization for years I have to assume that this organization is structurally corrupted to the core.

That said, it is obviously good to take a close at AfD, but I am not sure what they are looking for. The fact that most members are fascists is well established by just listening to them. I guess they are looking for involvement with violent far-right groups, which also have been uncovered before.

 

[FliX]

Unfortunately that's not going to stop those in the population who desire far-right politics.

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No, but it will make it harder for them to keep up appearances as buergerlich. It will also put any civil servants on notice that are still member of the AfD.

 

[lunarworks]

That said, it is obviously good to take a close at AfD, but I am not sure what they are looking for. The fact that most members are fascists is well established by just listening to them. I guess they are looking for involvement with violent far-right groups, which also have been uncovered before.

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Collusion with bad actors, coordination with propaganda outlets, who and where their money comes from, links to hostile foreign influences, etc. All kinds of stuff.

 

[FliX]

The whole thing is super teeth-less though; if they cannot actually monitor anyone who has been elected to public office.... 🙄 Which is what I heard yesterday in the Presseschau.

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

links to hostile foreign influences

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Well, what if these links are ideological?

The AfD shares the same national-conservatism, the same anti-liberalism, the same disdain for the rule of law with Russia, Hungary, US-Republicans, and so forth.

In Germany, we have the situation that a guy by the name of Carl Schmitt basically defined this ideology in contrast to parliamentarism. Now we find the far-right in the US, in parts of Europe, in Russia practically cite this guy to make their political ideology explicit.

So now the question is how are we going to follow up the "Never again!" claims of the past 80 years. What do we actually do if that ideology spreads again?

 

[WinniethePimp]

The whole thing is super teeth-less though; if they cannot actually monitor anyone who has been elected to public office.... 🙄 Which is what I heard yesterday in the Presseschau.

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I suppose you still got the....symbolic gesture though right?

 

[FliX]

I suppose you still got the....symbolic gesture though right?

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Fighting the far right with symbolic gestures ... sounds about right.

 

[WinniethePimp]

Fighting the far right with symbolic gestures ... sounds about right.

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This reminds me kind of of US democrats trying to "fight" repubs by reaching over the aisle and not offending anyone, while the other side
couldn't care less about using whatever dirty tricks they can find in the bag.
Toothless tigers and all that...

 

[eonden]

Youth parts of the party (aka, the most vocal parts and where you normally find the most trash, which end up bringing down these parties like in Greece) do not have people that have been elected, so they can be monitored (and the shit they say / do will end up leaking).
Its still shit not being able to monitor some of the nazis, but monitoring elected people (for being part of a political party) is a big can of worms noone wants to open in a democracy.

 

[strudelkuchen]

Nazis in charge of surveilling Nazis. Is this what poetry is?