Tensions between Berlin and Washington have escalated following a sharp rebuke by Germany of remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after the German domestic intelligence agency officially designated the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party as “proven right-wing extremist”.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) published its long-anticipated assessment on 2 May 2025, concluding that the AfD’s ideological foundations pose a threat to Germany’s democratic order. The report stated that the party adheres to an ethnic concept of the “Volk” incompatible with the democratic constitutional state. The classification grants authorities broader surveillance powers and places the AfD in the same legal category as groups previously subject to observation due to anti-democratic aims.
In response, AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla dismissed the findings as politically motivated. However, the domestic political controversy quickly took on an international dimension after Rubio denounced Germany’s move as a form of “disguised tyranny”.
Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.
What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 2, 2025
US Vice President JD Vance went further, suggesting on social media platform X that Germany was “rebuilding the Berlin Wall”, claiming it was now “not by the Soviets or Russians, but by the German establishment”.
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office issued an immediate reply, stating:
This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) May 2, 2025
The clash underlines growing ideological divergence between the Biden-successor administration under Donald Trump and several European governments over the limits of political expression, national sovereignty, and the character of constitutional democracy. Rubio’s remarks echo earlier comments by Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February, where he accused European leaders of suppressing free speech. At the same event, he held a half-hour meeting with Weidel while declining to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
This latest episode adds to a pattern of engagement by senior figures in the Trump administration with the AfD. President Trump himself and adviser Elon Musk have repeatedly expressed public support for the party, portraying it as a patriotic alternative to what they regard as entrenched European liberalism. The AfD has capitalised on these endorsements, positioning itself as part of a broader Western populist movement.
From the German perspective, however, such interventions are viewed as external interference in domestic democratic processes. Scholz has previously condemned calls to dismantle the so-called “Brandmauer” – the informal political exclusion of the AfD by mainstream parties – stating that “we do not accept that those who view Germany from the outside seek to interfere in our democracy, our elections, or our democratic opinion-forming to the benefit of this party”.
Concerns about the AfD’s international affiliations, particularly its links to Russia, have been documented by German and European intelligence agencies over several years. AfD representatives have made repeated visits to Russian-occupied Crimea and eastern Ukraine since 2016, often to serve as unofficial observers in unrecognised referenda. The party has consistently opposed sanctions against Moscow and has argued against Germany’s military and political support for Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
In 2023, an investigation by the Czech platform Investigace.cz and Germany’s ZDF revealed that individuals associated with the AfD had received financial and logistical support through pro-Kremlin networks aimed at influencing European discourse. European Parliament sources and several national security agencies have noted overlaps between AfD narratives and Russian information operations, particularly in the fields of energy policy, NATO scepticism, and migration.
Germany’s legal classification of the AfD as extremist carries both symbolic and operational consequences. While it does not equate to an outright ban, it paves the way for deeper scrutiny and opens legal pathways for restrictions, particularly on public officials affiliated with the party. Discussions are already underway in German media and legal circles regarding the feasibility of an outright ban, though any such process would be lengthy, complex, and ultimately subject to review by the Constitutional Court.
The broader implications of the confrontation extend beyond the immediate political fallout. It illustrates the fault lines between different models of democratic governance – one rooted in constitutional safeguards and historical consciousness, the other framed around unrestricted political expression, even if it edges toward extremism. In the German view, constitutional democracy involves proactive defence against ideologies that have, in the past, dismantled democratic institutions from within.
For Washington, especially under its current administration, such measures risk being perceived as ideological overreach or suppression of dissent. This divergence has become increasingly visible in the transatlantic relationship, particularly where domestic populist movements are concerned.
The ruling by the Verfassungsschutz may shape the AfD’s legal and political prospects in the months ahead. Meanwhile, its leadership has vowed to mount a legal challenge against the designation, suggesting a protracted confrontation not only within Germany but across the wider Western political landscape.
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