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Germany Expected To Put Right-Wing AfD Under Surveillance For Violating Constitution
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/22/959264440/germany-expected-to-put-right-wing-afd-under-surveillance-for-violating-constituGermany's Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, is constantly on the lookout for potential threats to Germany's democratic constitutional system, and it has wide-ranging powers when it finds them.
"This agency has the power — and not only to do surveillance on fringe groups, domestic terrorist threats, but also to keep an eye on any political institution, like a political party," explains Melanie Amann of the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel and the author of a book about the AfD. "Like if their program becomes more radical or if they notice that a political party, maybe that's even sitting in the parliament, goes into a direction that might be harmful to our political system."
The agency has wrapped up a two-year investigation into Germany's largest right-wing opposition party, the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and is expected to announce soon that it will place the entire party under surveillance for posing a threat to Germany's political system and violating the constitution. The unprecedented move would mean that all AfD lawmakers, including several dozen in Germany's parliament, would be put under state surveillance.
The driving force behind the creation of the Verfassungsschutz agency and its surveillance powers was the American-led Allied forces, who, after World War II, helped write a new German constitution with an eye toward preventing the return of Nazi ideology. That's why the very first article of the constitution guarantees the right to human dignity — an article that the agency determined a far-right branch of the AfD violated. It placed that group, known as der Flügel ("The Wing"
, under surveillance nearly a year ago.
"This agency has the power — and not only to do surveillance on fringe groups, domestic terrorist threats, but also to keep an eye on any political institution, like a political party," explains Melanie Amann of the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel and the author of a book about the AfD. "Like if their program becomes more radical or if they notice that a political party, maybe that's even sitting in the parliament, goes into a direction that might be harmful to our political system."
The agency has wrapped up a two-year investigation into Germany's largest right-wing opposition party, the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and is expected to announce soon that it will place the entire party under surveillance for posing a threat to Germany's political system and violating the constitution. The unprecedented move would mean that all AfD lawmakers, including several dozen in Germany's parliament, would be put under state surveillance.
The driving force behind the creation of the Verfassungsschutz agency and its surveillance powers was the American-led Allied forces, who, after World War II, helped write a new German constitution with an eye toward preventing the return of Nazi ideology. That's why the very first article of the constitution guarantees the right to human dignity — an article that the agency determined a far-right branch of the AfD violated. It placed that group, known as der Flügel ("The Wing"
, under surveillance nearly a year ago.Because of Germany's horrendous history, I think this is a GOOD thing. If we had a Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, I have no doubt that the fascist Republicans would be under surveillance. Of course, we will never have such an agency.