The protection of the Constitution : test case: What does this mean for the AfD?

It is his first major appearance before the media, there may be something of Pathos. Thomas Haldenwang quoted on Tuesday in the hall of the press - and information office of the Federal government in Berlin demonstrative article 1 of the basic law. "The Dignity of man is inviolable. To respect and protect it is the duty of all state authority“, says Haldenwang, then he leans forward a little. "This duty I am now fulfilled". The man with the brush cut is apparently aware that he has written after two months as President of the Federal office for the protection of the Constitution (BfV) history.

for the First time since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, the BfV has determined that a party, which sits in the Bundestag and all over the country days as a "test case" for an observation. And two AfD-groups, the "Young Alternative" and the folk "wing", even as a "suspected case" branded. 15. January 2019 is clearly a turning point.

A 450-page report

That was half a year ago, hard to imagine. Haldenwangs predecessor, Hans-Georg Maaßen didn't think much of it, the Federal office on the AfD, and in your contain nationalists and racists. However, agreed in Maaßens term - Haldenwang was at that time Vice - the BfV and the land authorities for the protection of the Constitution to a "material collection" to the AfD. Until October, the countries delivered to the Federal office in Cologne, Germany knowledge about the right-wing populists. The BfV contributed a own Knowledge in the material collection grew to a total of 1069 pages. This results in a project group distilled in BfV, led by the right-wing extremism-experts Matthias Weber, a 450-page report. A few days ago it went to the Federal Ministry of the interior, now the Public was allowed to know the result. It is for the AfD, especially in a year with many elections, a blow that is not to be underestimated.

The BfV first actual evidence would be available "for a against the free democratic basic order policy of the AfD," said Haldenwang. He refers to Statements by party officials and other party members, "with the guarantee of human dignity is incompatible". This "völkisch-nationalist as well as anti-Muslim and other xenophobic and anti-minority statements." However, the indications were not compressed "sufficiently, a systematic observation, the use of intelligence resources, to initiate".

"blanket vilification of refugees"

The AfD remains, therefore, first saves, staking out and about the V-people to be in the ranks spied on. Also, the storage of personal data. In a test case of the protection of the Constitution may collect only publicly accessible Material and evaluation - so-in-chief Alexander Gauland and other officials, speeches of party, entries of AfD-people in social networks and similar Material. Nevertheless, the AfD is stigmatized now officially. The set enough, there is evidence of a policy of the party against the democratic basic order. But that's not all.

The BfV considers the AfD-groups "Young Alternative (JA)" and "The wings" harder than "suspected case". Haldenwang expressed his verdict to both with the same words. It is sufficiently weighty evidence of existence", that it is an extremist efforts". The people would respect as a Supreme value of the Constitution. Haldenwang maintains the AfD offspring, there is a "blanket vilification of refugees", which would be referred to as a "knife migrants" and "testosterone driven". In addition, the parliamentary system will be made contemptible, and the violence monopoly of the state and the "legal commitment of the administration" violated. Haldenwang sounds, in spite of professional mastery, indignant.

roll-over fantasies

A similar picture at the "wings". The BfV-President of the force of the Thuringian AfD-Chef Björn Höcke not only certifies that the migrants outgoing crime would overstate the "krass". It is also the allegation that the "wings" be played down the "historical national socialism always comes back". Haldenwang mentioned slogans such as "thereafter, only the helmet to come", as proof for the roll-over fantasies in the environment Höckes.

The "wings" was within the AfD from the beginning as a right-winger-flow. He was born in 2015. At the time, grew out of Frustration at the AfD-nationalists, because party founder Bernd Lucke gave them no room in the AfD. Björn Höcke the "Erfurter Resolution" in the party, the inspiration of his Familiar, the law of intellectual Götz Kubitschek. Hundreds of the Resolution signed, it is the germ cell of the "wing". From the far right, he contributed at the time to go on a hatch. At the annual Kyffhäuser-Meeting of the "wing" regularly, how big is the following the grouping also among the top politicians of the party.

The "wings" is also part of the Brandenburg AfD-Chef Andreas Kalbitz. He is regarded as an influential puppet masters in the group and has several extreme right-wing references in his past. The former paratrooper took part in 2007 at a camp of the extreme right-wing homeland-faithful German youth (HDJ), and headed up to 2015 by the Nazis, SS officers, and NPD functionaries founded a cultural Association. Kalbitz, who is also the Chairman of the AfD faction in the Brandenburg state Parliament, employed in the past, a former NPD member and a HDJ-official.

stigma is likely to grow

For YES, and wing means the classification as a "suspected case" that you need to be different than the total party count with a classic intelligence observation by the BfV. The authority should recruit V-people, people observe, and above all: the data of activists in the YES and wings can be stored by the office.

The observation of YES and the wing is likely to be for the AfD, overall, problematic. The young and Höckes Annex cannot be separated clearly from the total party. Thus, the stigma increases as at least a extremism endangered party. In a year with a European election, nine local elections and four state elections, including three in the East.

Shortly after the Haldenwang-appearance of the AfD group leaders, Alexander Gauland, and Alice rye in front of the press. As a "distortion of competition" refers to ryegrass, the decision of the constitutional protection. From their point of view, the classification for the "test case" shows that the protection of the Constitution have nothing against the AfD in the Hand. The party wants to fight back legally against the decision.

On the faces of the bystanders group members shows that there is. In the party, some fear that the step of the constitutional protection could have far-reaching consequences - not only in terms of the upcoming elections. Members may dry up, escape, Re-members is a lack of donations. The possibilities for a coalition with the CDU in the Eastern States of Germany are even smaller than before.

To Chemnitz Calls for the protection of the Constitution loud

were there Just under relatively moderate officials it is the view that one can prevent the decision of the constitutional protection. A stronger focus on the protection of the Constitution took the AfD after the protests in Chemnitz. Representatives of AfD and the xenophobic Pegida Alliance were Bachmann marched in a funeral March through the city centre – of the country and leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, side-by-side with the Pegida leader, Lutz.

Several of the state offices for the protection of the Constitution were in terms of AfD is active In Baden-Württemberg, Bremen and lower Saxony, the country offices to watch the Young Alternative (JA), the youth organisation of the AfD due to their Connections to the people's "Identitarian movement". The Thuringian AfD-Landesverband under Björn Höcke was declared last year, is also a "test case".

The AfD-tip efforts in the face of a threat of observation to moderation. Behind his Hand of the more moderate party was listening to officials, the AfD had been looked away in the case of a right-wing extremist gaffes to long. The AfD Federal Executive set up a working group. Task: party exclusion procedures to keep the members inform of what Expressions are unacceptable. In addition, the working group should prepare a legal dispute.

Höcke called fear of the protection of the Constitution "political Bed-wetting"

Especially in the case of more radical AfD members and officials, the actions of the party leadership caused resentment. The members of the working group were referred to as "Inquisition" and "Stasi". Björn Höcke called the fear of the protection of the Constitution last November, "political Bed-wetting".

Andreas Kalbitz, the man of The hour at the AfD

the AfD is now overall as a "test case", a racist and radical derailment of the AfD have probably contributed to the elected officials in the whole of Germany. For example, since the AfD of the Bundestag, Gottfried Curio, the the in the AfD now popular saying, coined "mass immigration is fair is purely a hike" and the fully veiled, to be referred to as a "dead that speaks". Or the member of the Bundestag, Thomas Seitz, called to discuss the re-introduction of the death penalty, to deter illegal entry; or, the Saxon member of Parliament Jens Maier, who repeatedly hit the headlines, and he praised the NPD, as well as prior to the "production of mixed peoples" in Europe, warned.