Germany’s Spy Agency Walks Back Extremist Label for AfD

Germany’s domestic intelligence service has withdrawn its newly announced classification of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a confirmed extremist organization — at least temporarily.

Just six days after the agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, also known as the BfV, said it had gathered “definitive evidence” that the AfD seeks to undermine Germany’s democratic order, the BfV told an administrative court in Cologne that it will suspend the classification while legal proceedings are ongoing.

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The dramatic reversal comes after the AfD launched an urgent legal challenge, accusing the outgoing government of launching a politically motivated smear campaign days before leaving office. In its court filing, the BfV offered no explanation for the sudden shift.

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