Socialism using the state to harass its rivals: Is the Stasi returning to Germany?

Germany is experiencing a political earthquake due to a report prepared by one of its intelligence agencies on a political party.

Germany and the bias of talking about the 'extreme right' but not the 'extreme left'
German partner of the People's Party negotiates an alliance with the pro-Russian far left

The BfV classifies the AfD as 'extreme right' in an unpublished report

This Friday it was learned that The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), a counterintelligence agency dependent on the German Ministry of the Interior (currently in the hands of the socialist Nancy Faeser, of the SPD), has officially classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as "extreme right". This fact does not imply that the AfD will be outlawed, but it makes it easier for the BfV to monitor and control the activities of this nationalist right-wing political party. Curiously, the BfV bases this classification on an unpublished report. Is there something to hide?

Criticism of the BfV from the liberals and a former director of that office

These and other details have been harshly criticized not only by the political class (the measure has been criticized by the liberals of the FDP, who were Olaf Scholz's government partners until 2024) and the media. Furthermore, Hans-Georg Maaßen, director of the BfV between 2012 and 2018, has also criticized this classification, stating:

The German domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), is not an independent institution, but an agency subordinate to the federal government. Anyone who claims otherwise is lying! As head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, I have always advocated that it not be misused by the government to combat political opponents. Unfortunately, the current federal government, under the left-wing radical Minister Faeser, has misused the domestic intelligence agency as an instrument to persecute political opponents of the government.

The nervousness of some German politicians with the AfD and its causes

The political class's nervousness about this party in Germany has three reasons. The first and most important is its critical discourse against illegal and mass immigration, which is generating problems of coexistence, insecurity, and violence in that country, just as it is in others. The most clumsy reaction of the AfD's rivals is to deny the problem, demonizing those who are tapping into the growing fear of a considerable portion of German society about the effects of this illegal and mass immigration on their daily lives.

Are the pro-Russian right wing being investigated but not the pro-Russian left wing?

Secondly, many criticisms of the AfD are directed at its affinity towards Russia, an affinity I already pointed out here in 2022. This is, in fact, the reason why I would never give my vote to a party like that. The case is that AfD is not the only pro-Russian party in Germany.

In the last European legislature, the ultra-leftists of Die Linke voted more times in favor of Russia than the AfD. Furthermore, it should be noted that a few years ago, the BfV classified some groups that are part of Die Linke as extremists, such as Anticapitalist Left (AKL), Communist Platform (KPF) and Socialist Dialogue (SD), but the BfV has not classified the party itself as "extreme left." Furthermore, and as I pointed out last September, there is another emerging pro-Russian far-left party, the BSW (Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance), which has not been classified as "extreme left" by the BfV either.

Chasing a party that just overtook you in the elections

In addition to its right-wing ideology, the reason the BfV has focused on the AfD rather than the far left is probably its electoral success. In the February federal elections, the AfD was the second-largest party, obtaining 20.80% of the votes and beating the socialists of the SPD (16.41%), the party of Nancy Faeser, the minister on whom the BfV reports.

Frankly, from a democratic point of view, it is not at all good for a sitting minister to launch a persecution against a rival party that has just overtaken her in the elections. One has to wonder whether this course of action is intended to protect the German Basic Law or to dismantle it, because this is beginning to resemble the practices of the Stasi, the secret police of the communist dictatorship in East Germany.

Since 1949, only two parties have been declared illegal in Germany

Furthermore, it should be remembered that the German Basic Law (that country does not have a Constitution as such) states in its Article 21.2:

Parties that, by their aims or by the behavior of their members, tend to distort or eliminate the fundamental system of freedom and democracy, or to endanger the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany, are unconstitutional.

This section of the Basic Law was written with totalitarian parties in mind, that is, those parties that openly reject the democratic system and seek to replace it with a dictatorship, as is the case with the nazis and the communists. In fact, since the Basic Law came into force in 1949, the German Constitutional Court has only outlawed two parties: the Socialist Reich Party, a neo-nazi and anti-Semitic party (in 1952), and the Communist Party of Germany (in 1956).

Subsequently, there were attempts to outlaw the neo-fascist National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), but these were rejected by the Constitutional Court. Furthermore, the German Communist Party (DKP) emerged in 1968, which still exists today but has never had parliamentary representation. The DKP has been classified as "extreme left" by the BfV since its founding due to its totalitarian ideology, but no attempt has ever been made to outlaw it.

Is 'extremist' criticizing Islam, but not Islam?

Whether you like its ideology or not, the AfD is nowhere near comparable in terms of extremism to the NPD or the DKP. It is a democratic party and has never questioned the German parliamentary system or its constitutional framework. If this party has ties to Russia, they should be investigated, as should those of the pro-Russian far left. What is unacceptable in a democracy is to impose different criteria on parties based on their ideology, with greater rigor being applied to those who defend opinions that are legitimate even if they are not to the liking of the government.

In fact, we can see a paradox in the press release issued by the BfV on AfD this Friday, when it states the following: "Crucial to our assessment is the AfD's ethnic view of people, which devalues ​​entire groups of the German population and violates their human dignity. This view is reflected in the party's overall anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim stance."

Does taking a stand against Islam violate human dignity? Let's remember that we're talking about a religion whose holy book encourages hitting women. Is a party that criticizes that religion investigated for violating human dignity, but not the religion that affirms it?

The BfV and the promotion of abortion

On the other hand, abortion is legal in Germany and supported by major parties, not only the socialist SPD, but also the centrist CDU and CSU. Abortion is a clear violation of human dignity, since, in medical terms, this act involves ending the life of an innocent and defenseless human being in their prenatal years. Has the BfV perhaps opened an investigation against any German party for promoting abortion?

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Photo: Norbert Braun.