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The German security service put the far-right party under surveillance
The Ministry of Constitutional Protection will look closely at an alternative to Germany, the third largest party in parliament.
This is due to extreme statements by its members, including underestimating the seriousness of Nazi crimes.
"This is a scandal," the party said, months before the election in which it is expected to lose its power
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Germany
An alternative to Germany
IP
Wednesday, 03 March 2021, 14:48 Updated: 14:49
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"We are the people."
Demonstration of "Alternative to Germany", last year (Photo: AP)
The German Internal Security Service has put the Alternative to Germany (AfD) party under surveillance, due to its ties to the far right, the country's media reported today (Wednesday).
The move by the Ministry of Constitutional Protection, known for short as the BfV, comes two years after it announced an examination of the comments of party members and its ties to extremist organizations.
AfD is the third largest party in Germany's federal parliament, but it is expected to weaken in the autumn elections after years of scandal.
It drew its strength from the refugee crisis of the middle of the last decade, which led to a weakening in the power of Chancellor Angela Merkel terminating her term.
The role of the BfV is to monitor all extremist organizations in the country, as a lesson from the rise of the Nazis.
In January 2019, the service began undercover surveillance of the party's youth wing, which wanted to create a 'purely ethnic state', and after an extremist party faction in the east of the country, led by Bjorn Hokka.
Hokka's faction downplayed the seriousness of Germany's crimes during World War II, and it hinted that it might use "revolutionary" means to achieve its political goals.
Tino Shropela, one of the party leaders, accused the BfV of leaking information to the media in an attempt to influence public opinion in relation to it.
"Their behavior is a scandal," he told the German news agency.
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