For the first time in modern German history, a party with nationwide representation in parliament has been formally designated as an extremist group. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency designated the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as an extremist organization. State-level AfD branches of AfD in the eastern states of Thuringia, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt were previously designated extremist.
Under the German constitution, adopted four years after the Fall of the Nazi regime, parties that “deliberately undermine the functioning of Germany’s free democratic basic order” and act in a “militant and aggressive way” can be banned. The extremist label is the first step toward banning the party.
AfD aside, there seems to be a consensus among German political parties and governmental agencies that disinformation poses a significant threat to both German elections and society at large. As recently as December of 2024, the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union, the Left Party, the Social Democratic Party, Alliance 90/The Greens, and the Free Democratic Party all signed onto the “Fairness Doctrine” agreeing to oppose the use of disinformation and AI-generated content, and condemning violence against individuals during the campaign.
It is noteworthy that AfD did not agree to any of the above.
Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) issued a public warning regarding the potential for foreign influence and manipulation of elections and the employment of disinformation campaigns,
“In conjunction with its war of aggression, Russia has aggressively expanded the dissemination of (pro-)Russian and anti-Western narratives since 2022 and even speaks of being engaged in an “information war.”
The aim of the actors behind this war is to create or deepen uncertainty and divisions in German society, reduce willingness to support Ukraine, and thus influence political decisions. Recurring topics include Russia’s escalatory dominance, alleged “Russophobia,” energy and economic issues, false claims about Ukraine, and attacks on politicians and individuals in the German government and parliament.”
The problem with this is that focusing on disinformation is focusing on tactics rather than strategy. Even if Germany has a tactical victory, the narrative war still needs to be fought. It would be a mistake to think that even the eventual banning of AfD would kill it off. AfD will go underground if it is banned. And even if the group dissolves, the identity formations resulting from the psychological assault that has already taken place will not dissolve; they will mutate. Germany, like the U.S., would be well advised to look beyond “disinformation” to the techniques that have targeted the audience’s information processing.
Dealing with a domestic extremist threat is no longer different from addressing a foreign threat. Nation states world over, including our own, tend toward decapitation, but that is an ineffective and antiquated method of addressing the enduring psychological effects of extremist recruitment, whether foreign or domestic.
In a surprising reversal, Germany’s intelligence agency told an administrative court in Cologne that it will suspend the extremist classification while legal proceedings are ongoing.