Icon: enlarge
Delegate at the AfD party conference in Kalkar in November
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / picture alliance / dpa
For Wednesday morning at 8.30 a.m., head of the protection of the constitution Thomas Haldenwang invited his colleagues from the countries to a switching conference at short notice.
They didn't know in advance what it was about, but they suspected it: The »Alternative for Germany« (AfD) had been declared a suspected case of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The office could actually monitor party officials using secret service methods: observe meetings, read e-mails and tap phone calls.
The authority would only have to hold back in the case of MPs.
However, the Cologne Administrative Court decided on Friday afternoon that the AfD should not be monitored until the party's urgent application has been decided.
The AfD is legally defending itself against the professional attention of the domestic intelligence service.
To be observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution would be a historic turning point for the AfD: Once started as a eurosceptic, conservative party, it would be suspected of being anti-democratic.
For the service and its employer Horst Seehofer (CSU), the decision was a delicate step from a political and constitutional point of view.
Shortly before the state elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate and in the year of the federal election, the office wanted to target the state's largest opposition party.
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an e-paper in the app and on the web
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Try one month for free
can be canceled online at any time
One month for € 0.00
Try it now for € 0.00Arrow to the right
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an app and e-paper
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Only € 19.99 per month
can be canceled at any time
Buy Now Right Arrow
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
To use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchasing.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.
