Germany's intelligence agency suspends AfD party's 'extremist' classification

Germany's home intelligence agency has said it will await a tribunal ruling earlier moving guardant pinch plans to categorize nan anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) statement arsenic a "right-wing extremist" movement, a measurement that could taxable nan statement to broader surveillance and scrutiny of its activities.

The announced region comes aft nan statement revenge a suit successful nan occidental metropolis of Cologne against nan move by nan BfV intelligence work and nan party's supporters alleged a politically motivated crackdown.

German officials person denied that allegation and person faulted what they called nan party's "ongoing agitation" against refugees and migrants.

The AfD's co-leaders, Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, responded successful a associated connection saying nan intelligence service's determination was "a first important step" that would thief "counter nan accusation of right-wing extremism."

The region by nan Federal Office for nan Protection of nan Constitution intends that it cannot move guardant pinch erstwhile plans to usage enhanced devices for illustration video and audio surveillance, and usage informants, to scrutinise nan activities of nan AfD, which came second successful parliamentary elections successful February.

It does not mean that nan intelligence agency has dropped those plans for good.

The decision, months successful nan making, came days earlier nan caller German authorities led by blimpish Chancellor Friedrich Merz took agency connected Tuesday, replacing nan outgoing conjugation led by nan Social Democrats' Olaf Scholz.

The intelligence agency cited a number of pronouncements by AfD officials, including statements like, "Every further foreigner successful this state is 1 excessively many," nan German news agency dpa reported.

The US management has criticised nan determination by nan intelligence service, prompting a retort from nan German Foreign Ministry.

In a societal media station past week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called connected Germany to undo nan classification, saying nan move to springiness caller powers to nan spy agency to watch nan guidance amounted to "tyranny successful disguise."

The German Foreign Ministry responded by saying nan determination resulted from an independent investigation to protect Germany's Constitution and nan norm of law.