Germany Wrestles With AfD ‘Extremist’ Label Battle: What to Know

The designation allows the nation’s intelligence service to employ its highest tier of domestic intelligence monitoring.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is congratulated by CDU MP Hendrik Wust under the eyes of the co-leaders of the AfD party Tino Chrupalla (back L) and Alice Weidel (C) and honorary AfD chairman Alexander Gauland (R), in Berlin, dated May 6, 2025. Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images

The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party—which came a close second in recent federal elections—is now locked in a legal battle with the state to avoid being branded an “extremist” right-wing movement.

The controversial label was imposed by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency on May 2, only to then be put on pause amid the transition to a new power-sharing government following a legal challenge.