Latest news with #MichaelEbling
Economist
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Economist
The German politicians who want to bar the AfD from government jobs
GERMANY'S DEAD-EYED bureaucrats are rarely the object of citizens' affections. But could some be seeking to subvert democracy? Such was the concern of Michael Ebling, the interior minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, when he declared that members of the hard-right Alternative for Germany (afd) would be barred from public-sector jobs in his state. 'Anyone who places themselves in the service of this state must remain loyal to the constitution,' he thundered. What ensued was, as the Germans call it, ein Shitstorm. Mr Ebling wavered, clarifying that afd members would be individually assessed rather than collectively banned. But the case encapsulates the struggle of Germany's centrists to lock out an extremist party that is becoming part of the mainstream.
Local Germany
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
How one German state is blocking AfD members from civil service roles
Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won't be able to enter public service positions in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate going forward, the state's interior minister, Michael Ebling (SPD), announced on Thursday in Mainz. The western German state is changing the rules around recruitment for civil servants. Specifically, applicants for government positions will be required to declare that they do not belong to an extremist organisation (and have not in the past five years). The move effectively bans AfD members from becoming civil servants, because the far-right party is under observation by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in the state of in Rhineland-Palatine. READ ALSO: Far-right AfD gets surprise over common names of German benefits recipients The rule change may impact existing employees in the public sector as well. Going forward, membership of an extremist organisation could constitute a disciplinary offence. Disciplinary actions would vary depending on individual cases, but employees with proven violations of their duty of loyalty to the constitution could expect to be removed from service. "Loyalty to the constitution is not a wish or a recommendation…it is the immovable duty of every civil servant in our country," said interior minister Ebling. "Anyone who puts himself at the service of this state must be loyal to the constitution at all times, without ifs and buts." According to the state's interior ministry office, even stricter requirements apply to police officers. AfD politician rejects the move The AfD is not happy about the move, and has reacted with criticism of the interior minister. AfD member of parliament and deputy state chairman Sebastian Münzenmaier slammed the move as a 'declaration of political bankruptcy'. Advertisement In defence of the rule change, state interior minister Ebling said that 'a suspected case [of extremism] means that there are sufficiently verifiable indications of anti-constitutional tendencies'. The AfD party has been designated as a confirmed extremist organisation in several German states. In May, the party was labeled as a right-wing extremist group at the national level by Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV). However, the party immediately challenged the label in court , causing the BfV to suspend the classification until the legal appeal is resolved. FACT CHECK: Are immigrants in Germany taking advantage of the welfare state? With reporting by DPA.
