Why German spies wiretap the AfD

The hard-Right party are being watched by spooks. Is that fair?

Dear Reader,

In mid-January it seemed like a certainty. Newspaper reports suggested that all 16 state interior ministers were in agreement and that the federal interior minister, Horst Seehofer, had finally given his blessing.

For the first time in the history of the republic, the BfV domestic intelligence agency would declare an entire political party represented in the Bundestag a Verdachstfall - an organisation suspected of trying to subvert the constitution.

The Alternative for Germany - the official opposition with 92 MdBs - would be put under surveillance by the Verfassungsschutz (BfV). Such a move allows for spying on both MPs and ordinary party members; the spy service would be able to place informants inside the party.

Afd party leader Jörg Meuthen © Robin Krahl CC BY-SA 4.0

The groundwork had been prepared over years. The party had initially been classified as a Prüffall (case of interest), then a powerful internal network known as Der Flügel (the Wing) was declared “extremist” l…