How the office for the protection of the constitution (BFV) became a political weapon against the AfD

The German political landscape was shaken this week. Only days after the choice of Friedrich Merz As the new Chancellor in Germany, the country of this country Secret services On Friday the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party A “proven right -wing extremist” Movement.

The Office to protect the constitutionA body under that Ministry of the Interiordid not indicate the consequences of this qualification, but the measure gives the authorities considerable funds of Monitoring and controlincluding private communication between party members.

In his statement the BFV Marks the Overall enemy attitude towards migrants and MuslimsOn the part of the party.

The announcement could also rekindle the debate On a possible Illegalization of the AfD.

For your part the leaders of the formation, Alice Weidel And Tino Chrupallahave denounced on X that “the AfD is publicly discredited and criminalized As an opposition party just before the Change of government.“

The party also declared it “Hard blow for democracy,“Assure that the party will continue to be going on” legally defend oneself Against this Dangerous defamation for democracy. “

What is the Federal Office to protect the constitution (BFV)?

German media outlet Nius Published on Sunday an article by written by Hans-Georg MaassenFormer President of the BFV.

In his note, Maassen explains that “apart from Austria, apart from Austria, Germany is the only western country in which the secret services are authorized to monitor political parties. In other western democracies it is unthinkable that A intelligence This reports to the government examined and controlled The Opposition parties. “

“The Protection Office Is neither a neutral Another politically independent authority. At the federal level it reports to the Federal Ministry of the interior And is subject to his instructions. The Interior Ministry can even share the agency How to act in certain cases“Maasses add.

The former BFV chairman says that “the management of the office is to protect the constitution Political officials,“And explains that these officials know what their minister does. 'Rattle'.“

The BFV, a political weapon against the AfD

In 2013, Maassen heard the monitoring of the left party The left dieWith the consent of the then Minister of the Interior.

The reason why Maßen set the observation of this formation Extremist partyBut because he believed that the BFV should finally become one Normal European intelligence service, What should concentrate on the examination and contraception, like all other western services terrorismPresent espionagePresent subversion And Cyber ​​attacks. “

A year ago, the left -wing leaders of Die Linke executives for the ban on the AfD and its youth organization out published young alternative (yes) and said that the party was “a danger to democracy”.

Maassen also says that he was asked in 2016 Watch the AfD “At first cautious and then increasingly More and more persistent. Is not the assistant From established parties to too get rid of from Political competition. “

Hans-Georg Maassen left the BFV in 2018 and said that he found that Germany “continued the special focus of Party monitoring of the Secret services exclusively against the AfD and Not against left -wing parties. “

For the former president of the office “would have been the first thing that had to be resumed Monitoring of the left partyDue to the proximity of extreme left Organizations “and the Anticon institutional statements It would also make sense to examine the monitoring of party members The Greens And their youth organizations. “For Maassen” it is obvious that both were not examined For political reasons. “

It should be noted that the left -wing leader came a year ago in favor of the left -wing leader Prohibition of the AfD and his youth organization, Alternative boy (Yes), represented by the party “A danger to democracy.“

Maassen believes that the office to protect the constitution is no longer allowed to be misused For monitoring political rivals. “

What does the report contain against the AfD?

In the article for NiusMaassen says that “it is more likely that the decision about whether the report should be issued or not will be hit initially At the political level and that the respective development phases of the report were precisely followed Through the specialized department of Ministry of the Interior In the past few months. “

“So it's unlikely that the more than 1,100-page report of the office to protect the constitution Is neutralPresent lens or politically“The former BFV chairman adds.

The office for the protection of the constitution was used scrupulousGeorg Maasse

Maassen explains that “only insiders know exactly what it contains, how it is kept Secret to the public and also From the AfD questionable. “

So the BFV for Maassen should “open the disclosure of the Evaluation of a political party If it's not ready Present the evidence on which his assessment is based. “

“The fact that the report is kept secret from the public and the party concerned, but that It was passed on to a journalist out of MirrorExactly connected to the government Only one conclusion enables information for information: This is not a fair assessment of the AfD“The former BFV chairman said.

For Maassen, the office was to protect the constitution unscrupulous Fights earlier Political opponents as enemies As part of the government of the government 'fight against the right wing'Project. Under this minister (Nancy Faeser / SPD), the office for the protection of the constitution Danger for the free democratic basic order. “

Friedrich Merz, a candidate of empty promises and awkward alliances

One of the allegations of the BFV to the AfD is the fact that it contains positions that contain the You consider it extreme vis-a-vis Illegal immigration And Muslims.

The BFV has also said that “the continuation of refugees or migrants for the spread and deepening of prejudices, resentments and fear of this group of people is beneficial”.

Nevertheless in January the CDU from Merz Had teamed up With the AfD to pass “a five-point plan”, which demanded more efforts to prevent contraception Illegal immigrationstrengthen Deportations and other immigration controls according to several Terrorist attacks in Germany committed by suspected Asylum seekers.

Merz went so far to say: “Democracy is also at risk if a social and political minority uses radicals as an instrument to permanently ignore the will of the majority of the population. Therefore we will no longer leave it Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the GreensTell us what to do. “

At the end of March the AfD-CO chairman Alice Weidel noted, “according to the current state of the coalition negotiations, There will be no changes in the migration and naturalization guideline. The turbo scientific is continuedand the Borderlands remains open. Merz 'five-point plan is nothing left. “

Ironically, Merz finally decided on it act with the SPD Who at the end of April approved a coalition agreement form a government.

This Tuesday, too, was painfully elected to the German Chancellor by the MPs, and had to go through two rounds in the Bundestag. A sign of difficulties Wait him in power.

Accordingly The viewer“In the short term, the only winner is the AfD.”

Also, Bernd BaumannAn AfD deputy, explained: “This government begins in a situation of Extreme instability. And it will remain unstable. It is that Opposite of what Germany needs. “

The United States accuses Germany of “rebuilding the Berlin wall”,

On the other side of the AtlanticForeign Minister Marco Rubio called it “tyranny” for Germany's secret services to name the AfD as “extremist”, a party that became second in the legislative elections in February.

“Germany has just given its espionage agency new powers Monitor the opposition“, Said Rubio on the social network X.

“This is not a democracy: it is tyranny in the cladding,” he added.

“What is really extremist Deadly immigration policy from open borders of the establishment that the AfD rejects, “Rubio expects.

US vice president on his part in turn Jd vance Germany has accused Germany of having built a new one Berlin wall.

The countries of “The West tore the Berlin wall together. And it was not rebuilt by the Soviets or Russians, but by the German establishment“Vance explained.

Elon Muschus Said Banning the AfD “would be an extreme attack on democracy.”