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AfD politician Chrupalla, Gauland on March 3rd in the Bundestag
Photo: CLEMENS BILAN / EPA
The AfD had been expecting this blow for weeks.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution would classify the entire federal party as a suspected case in the area of right-wing extremism - this was also expected in the party of the far right.
The only question was: when exactly would it happen?
On Wednesday, SPIEGEL and other media reported that the authority in Cologne had decided to take this step.
Now the protection of the constitution can observe the entire AfD with intelligence means.
However, in an ongoing legal dispute before the Cologne Administrative Court, the authority has committed itself to for the time being not to monitor members of the federal, state and European Parliament by the secret service.
The same goes for candidates in the upcoming elections in 2021.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is also currently not allowed to announce the classification as a “suspected case”.
In response to a request from SPIEGEL, the authority did not want to confirm the move.
"With a view to the ongoing proceedings and out of respect for the court, the BfV is not making a public statement on this matter," said a spokeswoman.
The two AfD party leaders Jörg Meuthen and Tino Chrupalla then e-mailed a joint statement stating a rather rare measure in the AfD, which has been deeply divided for months: The classification is a "scandal that threatens to massively damage the AfD in a super election year."
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