Latest news with #BjoernHoecke
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Germany's far-right AfD harbors growing number of extremists: spy agency
Germany's biggest opposition party the Alternative for Germany is harboring a growing number of right-wing extremists, the domestic spy agency said in its annual report on Tuesday, reporting also a surge in overall crime motivated by right-wing extremism. The number of extremists within the AfD, which came second in a federal election in February, rose by 77% last year to 20,000 in tandem with a growth in party membership and its shift rightward, the agency said. The agency last month classified the party at large as "extremist" on the basis of a 1,100-page experts' report enabling it to step up monitoring of the AfD, although the party has legally challenged this. Party statements frequently included xenophobic and anti-Muslim positions, with migrants from predominantly Islamic countries often accused of cultural incompatibility and a strong inclination toward criminal behavior, the agency said on Tuesday. AfD leaders frequently made statements that could be considered to attack the constitution during state election campaigns in eastern Germany last year — and mostly were not reined in by the party, the agency said. It cited the leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, who at a campaign event in August said the election could "lead to the implosion of the cartel party system" and "finally bring about something that is a true democracy." Crime motivated by right-wing extremism in Germany jumped 47.4% last year, including 6 attempted murders up from 4 in 2023 and 23 cases of arson up from 16, the agency said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany's far-right AfD harbours growing number of extremists
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's biggest opposition party the Alternative for Germany is harbouring a growing number of right-wing extremists, the domestic spy agency said in its annual report on Tuesday, reporting also a surge in overall crime motivated by right-wing extremism. The number of extremists within the AfD, which came second in a federal election in February, rose by 77% last year to 20,000 in tandem with a growth in party membership and its shift rightwards, the agency said. The agency last month classified the party at large as "extremist" on the basis of a 1,100-page experts' report enabling it to step up monitoring of the AfD, although the party has legally challenged this. Party statements frequently included xenophobic and anti-Muslim positions, with migrants from predominantly Islamic countries often accused of cultural incompatibility and a strong inclination toward criminal behavior, the agency said on Tuesday. AfD leaders frequently made statements that could be considered to attack the constitution during state election campaigns in eastern Germany last year - and mostly were not reined in by the party, the agency said. It cited the leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, who at a campaign event in August said the election could "lead to the implosion of the cartel party system" and "finally bring about something that is a true democracy". Crime motivated by right-wing extremism in Germany jumped 47.4% last year, including 6 attempted murders up from 4 in 2023 and 23 cases of arson up from 16, the agency said.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Germany's main opposition party harbouring 20,000 extremists, says spy agency
Germany 's main opposition party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), is facing scrutiny as the nation's domestic spy agency reveals a concerning rise in right-wing extremism within its ranks. According to the agency's annual report, the number of identified extremists within the AfD surged by 77 per cent in 2024, reaching approximately 20,000 people. This increase coincides with the party's overall growth in membership and a noted shift towards more radical positions. The agency has also reported a parallel increase in overall crime motivated by right-wing extremism. In May, the agency classified the AfD as "extremist", based on a 1,100-page report. This classification allows for increased monitoring of the party, although the AfD has launched a legal challenge against the decision. Party statements frequently included xenophobic and anti-Muslim positions, with migrants from predominantly Islamic countries often accused of cultural incompatibility and a strong inclination toward criminal behaviour, the agency said. AfD leaders frequently made statements that could be considered to attack the constitution during state election campaigns in eastern Germany in 2024 - and mostly were not reined in by the party, the agency said. It cited the leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, who at a campaign event in August said the election could "lead to the implosion of the cartel party system" and "finally bring about something that is a true democracy". Crime motivated by right-wing extremism in Germany jumped 47.4 per cent in 2024, including six attempted murders, up from four in 2023. There were also 23 cases of arson, up from 16, the agency said. AfD surged to an historic second place in the national elections in February, securing an unprecedented influence in the country's post-war political landscape. The party doubled their share from 2021 to win 20.8 per cent of the vote in the election, in a surge described by victor Friedrich Merz – whose conservative bloc won with just 28.5 per cent – as a 'final warning' to democratic parties. AfD leaders have been fined for using banned Nazi slogans and members expelled for suspected paramilitary involvement. Its electoral success came in a campaign dominated by concerns over immigration and marred by three suspected terror attacks, bolstering support for the hardline anti-migrant party.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Germany's far-right AfD harbours growing number of extremists
BERLIN, June 10 (Reuters) - Germany's biggest opposition party the Alternative for Germany is harbouring a growing number of right-wing extremists, the domestic spy agency said in its annual report on Tuesday, reporting also a surge in overall crime motivated by right-wing extremism. The number of extremists within the AfD, which came second in a federal election in February, rose by 77% last year to 20,000 in tandem with a growth in party membership and its shift rightwards, the agency said. The agency last month classified the party at large as "extremist" on the basis of a 1,100-page experts' report enabling it to step up monitoring of the AfD, although the party has legally challenged this. Party statements frequently included xenophobic and anti-Muslim positions, with migrants from predominantly Islamic countries often accused of cultural incompatibility and a strong inclination toward criminal behavior, the agency said on Tuesday. AfD leaders frequently made statements that could be considered to attack the constitution during state election campaigns in eastern Germany last year - and mostly were not reined in by the party, the agency said. It cited the leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Bjoern Hoecke, who at a campaign event in August said the election could "lead to the implosion of the cartel party system" and "finally bring about something that is a true democracy". Crime motivated by right-wing extremism in Germany jumped 47.4% last year, including 6 attempted murders up from 4 in 2023 and 23 cases of arson up from 16, the agency said.
Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
German spy agency labels far-right AfD "extremist"
FILE PHOTO: The AfD logo is pictured on stage before an election campaign rally of Bjoern Hoecke, leader of the Alternative for Germany in Thuringia, the state in east Germany where polls say his party could take 29% of the vote in September, in Arnstadt, Germany, July 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Escritt/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Co-leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla give a media statement on the day of the AfD parliamentary fraction meeting following the German general elections in Berlin, Germany, February 25, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo BERLIN - Germany's domestic intelligence agency on Friday classified the far-right Alternative for Germany as an extremist entity that threatens democracy, a move enabling it to better monitor the party that came second in February's federal election. The status should make it easier for authorities to use secret methods to monitor the party for example by recruiting confidential informants and intercepting communications. The AfD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The stigma as well as restrictions on civil service employment could also hamper its ability to attract members. "The ethnicity- and ancestry-based conception of the people that predominates within the party is not compatible with the free democratic order," the domestic intelligence agency said in a statement. "It aims to exclude certain population groups from equal participation in society, to subject them to treatment that violates the constitution, and thereby assign them a legally subordinate status." The AfD does not consider German citizens of immigrant background from predominantly Muslim countries as equal members of the German people, it added. This approach led to individuals and groups being "defamed and vilified", stirring up "irrational fears and hostility toward them," it added. The decision comes days before conservative leader Friedrich Merz is due to be sworn in as Germany's new chancellor and amid a heated debate over how to deal with the AfD in the new parliament. The party won a record number of seats which theoretically entitles it to chair several key parliamentary committees although it would still need the backing of other parties. Analysts said the decision risks further fueling support for the AfD and its narrative that it is being sidelined by a "cartel" of established parties. The party has topped several polls in recent weeks. Certain factions of the AfD such as its youth wing had already been classified extremist, while the party at large was classified a suspected extremist case in 2021. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
