Upgrade from ‘suspected’ threat will mean greater surveillance of party that came second in last election Germany’s domestic intelligence service has designated the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), the biggest opposition party, as a “confirmed rightwing extremist” force, meaning authorities can step up their surveillance as critics call for it to be legally banned. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) previously considered the anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin party a “suspected” threat to Germany’s democratic order, with three of its regional chapters in eastern statesand its youth wing classed as confirmed extremist. Continue reading...