 as the party surges to 21 per cent in the polls amid warnings from intelligence officials that its members are becoming increasingly extreme. German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that 'we all have it in our hands to put those who despise our democracy in their place' in a speech to the country's domestic intelligence agency at the castle where the German post-war constitution was created. His intervention has widely been seen as support for a ban after the domestic spy chief Thomas Haldenwang warned about growing Right-wing extremist influence in the party . Haldenwang said 'we see a considerable number of protagonists in this party that spread hate against all types of minorities here in Germany'. It comes amid warnings of the increasing influence of Björn Höcke, the leader of the AfD in the eastern state of Thuringia. Höcke, a former history teacher who is known for his Hitler-esque language , with his allies sweeping the board for European lists at the party's conference in Magdeburg in August. In a rare move, the respected Der Spiegel news magazine weighed into the debate with a leader titled 'ban the enemies of the constitution!' warning that 'the AfD has become more and more radicalised. It's time to defend democracy with better weapons'. The co-leader of chancellor Olaf Scholz's ruling Social Democrats also said that a ban should be considered if the AfD are categorised as 'proven Right-wing extremists' by the office of constitutional protection while CDU leader Friedrich Merz warned that 'banning parties has never actually solved political problems'. 'Degree of dangerousness' Meanwhile, the German Institute for Human Rights, a non-governmental organisation, declared last week that 'the AfD have reached a degree of dangerousness that they can be banned according to the constitution'. They warned in an analysis that the party is actively and methodically trying 'to implement its){kind=link}
Far-Right extremists are extorting a growing influence on party that now has a more than 20 per cent pull at the polls
Germany is debating whether to ban the far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as the party surges to 21 per cent in the polls, amid warnings from intelligence officials that its members are becoming increasingly extreme.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, warned in a speech to the country’s domestic intelligence agency that “we all have it in our hands to put those who despise our democracy in their place”.
His speech at the castle where the German post-war constitution was created has widely been seen as support for a ban after Thomas Haldenwang, the domestic spy chief, warned about growing Right-wing extremist influence in the party.
Mr Haldenwang said: “We see a considerable number of protagonists in this party that spread hate against all types of minorities here in Germany.”