[Domestic Policy] About the observation of the AfD 2019-01-19

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) has announced that the AfD will be considered as a whole party as a test case. In addition the youth organization of the AfD Young Alternative (Junge Alternative) and the sub-organization The Wing (Der Flügel) were declared as suspected cases. This also means that according to the current state of knowledge the conditions for the observation of the AfD are not met.
In the case of a test case only publicly accessible sources such as e.g. party programs, flyers or social media can used. The next stage is the suspected case. In the case of suspected case the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) additionally uses information from authorities and it is possible to observe individuals. Intelligence agents such as intercepting or the use of informants can not be used in either case until the suspicions have been substantiated.
As a result the AfD and the Yuong Alternative are systematically monitored under the direction of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz). If the suspicion is confirmed, then these organizations become full observation objects. Then the use of informants and intercepting of telecommunications is possible. [1] [2]

Strange is that a 436-page report that was previously considered as officially secret was cited by the media. And when the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) declared the AfD a test case the interior ministers of the federal states and the federal government did not had the basis of the decision. How these media got access to the report is still open. [3] [4]

And the state chairman of the SPD from Schleswig-Holstein Ralf Stegner even published a very questionable message. Stegner wrote that had to go for the classification Hans-Georg Maaßen. [5]
The right-wing populists of the AfD are finally in the focus of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz). The unfortunate Mr. Maaßen had to go so that this could happen which was long overdue. [5]
On September 7, Maaßen contradicted the accusation of the federal government that in Chemnitz manhunts on foreigners have taken place. After a German national was murdered on August 25, 2018 in Chemnitz and two others out of three asylum seekers were injured. According to the police the three victims were attacked without any need for self-defense. [6] [7]
Keine Informationen über Hetzjagden auf Ausländer in Chemnitz
No information about manunts on foreigners in Chemnitz [8]
Maaßen was then questioned by various politicians. Later he was accused of having held illegitimate meetings or consultations with the AfD. Maaßen was assumed to have had a closeness and solidarity with the AfD. [9] [10] All these allegations are still unproven. The AfD was founded in February 2013. And Hans-Georg Maaßen has been president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) since August 2012. During his time Maaßen has met 121 times with the CDU/CSU, 69 times with the SPD, 23 times with the Greens, 14 times with the Left Party and 5 times with the FDP. Maaßen met with the AfD only 5 times. [11]

On September 18, it was announced that Maassen should be dismissed as president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz). First Maaßen was supposed to become secretary of state in the Federal Ministry of the Interior. On November 5, 2018 however he put into intermediate retirement. [12] [13]

The reason stated was that there is a Muslim hostility far beyond pure criticism of Islam. In many speeches it is allegedly repeatedly warned against a population exchange by Muslims. The youth organization of the AfD Young Alternative is supposedly directed against the principle of democracy. There are supposed to be numerous blanket defamatory statements about the government and the entire political system. [1] [2]

Firstly in Germany in 2016, 9.2 million people or 11.2 percent of the population had a foreign citizenship. With 70 percent most of them came from Europe. The largest groups were Turkish with 15 percent, Polish with 8 percent, Syrian with 6 percent, Italian with 6 percent and Romanian nationals with 5 percent. In total the number of people with a migration background in Germany in 2016 was around 18.6 million. Of these, 2.3 million people in Germany have their roots in the Near and Middle East and 740,000 are of African descent. And the trend is rising. [14]

Secondly democracy lives from freedom of expression and diversity of opinions within the law. Without criticism of the ruling conditions or with speech prohibitions the competition of ideas becomes a dictatorship of one attitude. Of course this is painful and embarrassing for the government. With the dismissal of Maaßens and the subsequent classification of the AfD one can therefore gain the impression that only criticism of the government should be prevented.

In the past there are two noteworthy examples of parties that have become the focus of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz). In the 80s the party the republicans (die Republikaner) was founded and they won some respectable success. But the Republicans came into the focus of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) again and again. Thereupon disputes over the future direction broke out. Then the party line was toned down but it was still observed afterwards. After the moderate and experienced members left the party it became increasingly radical and inexperienced. Electoral successes did not occured since then.

On the other hand the party the left (Die Linke) was founded at the beginning of the 2000s and shortly thereafter observed by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz). It pointed to the acceptance of left-wing extremist violence as well as individual socialist or communist working groups. These working groups would be directed against the free democratic basic order. Since then consequences but also electoral successes are largely absent. 2014 it was declared that the left is no longer observed by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz). [15,S.173] [16,S.148]

[1] Fachinformation zur Partei „Alternative für Deutschland“ (AfD)
https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/aktuelles/zur-sache/zs-2019-001-fachinformation-zur-partei-alternative-fuer-deutschland-afd?pk_campaign=RSS-Feed
[2] Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) gibt das Prüfergebnis zu der Partei „Alternative für Deutschland“ (AfD) bekannt 2019-01-15
https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/presse/pm-20190115-pruefergebnis-zur-partei-alternative-fuer-deutschland-afd?pk_campaign=RSS-Feed
[3] Verfassungsschutz-Gutachten zur AfD - Diffamierend, antisemitisch, rassistisch 2019-01-17
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/afd-verfassungsschutz-gutachten-nennt-partei-diffamierend-rassistisch-a-1248537.html
[4] "Sind nicht die Sklaven des BfV" - Minister beschweren sich über Haldenwang 2019-01-18
https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Minister-beschweren-sich-ueber-Haldenwang-article20816898.html?fbclid=IwAR0v1eKCyWyinc5CoqSJLzxwkfWpSXOCjaoRKDiXLSpVkGHCf9K4jgi_DpY
[5] Die Rechtspopulisten von der AFD kommen endlich in den Fokus des Verfassungsschutzes. Dazu musste der unselige Herr Maaßen gehen, damit das passieren kann, was längst überfällig war. - Ralf Stegner 2019-01-15
https://twitter.com/Ralf_Stegner/status/1085415645339176961
[6] Faktencheck zu Chemnitzer Todesfall: Täter handelten nicht in Notwehr 2018-08-28
http://www.lvz.de/Region/Polizeiticker/Chemnitz-Polizei-dementiert-Geruechte-ueber-zweites-Todesopfer
[7] Tatverdächtige der Messerattacke in Chemnitz beantragen Haftprüfung 2018-09-14
https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/chemnitz/chemnitz-stollberg/inhaftierter-chemnitz-tatbeteiligung-messerattacke-100.html
[8] Maaßen sieht keine Beweise für Hetzjagd in Chemnitz 2018-09-07:
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/hans-georg-maassen-sieht-keine-beweise-fuer-hetzjagd-in-chemnitz-a-1226949.html
[9] Keine Informationen über Hetzjagden auf Ausländer in Chemnitz 2018-09-07:
https://www.welt.de/politik/article181449460/Verfassungsschutzpraesident-Keine-Informationen-ueber-Hetzjagden-auf-Auslaender-in-Chemnitz.html
[10] Innenministerium bestätigt Treffen Maaßens mit Frauke Petry 2018-08-10:
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article180963008/Verfassungsschutzchef-Innenministerium-bestaetigt-Treffen-Maassens-mit-Frauke-Petry.html
[11] Maaßen sprach 237 Mal mit Politikern - lediglich fünf Treffen mit der AfD 2018-09-13:
https://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/maassen-fuehrte-seit-amtsantritt-237-gespraech-mit-politikern---nur-fuenf-mit-der-afd-8356970.html
[12] Maaßen muss als Verfassungsschutzchef gehen - und wird zum Staatssekretär befördert 2018-09-18:
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/hans-georg-maassen-wird-als-verfassungsschutzchef-abgeloest-a-1228762.html
[13] Seehofer schickt Maaßen in den Ruhestand 2018-11-05:
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/nach-abschiedsrede-seehofer-schickt-maassen-in-den-ruhestand/23411586.html
[14] Migration in Zeiten des demografischen Wandels
https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/_Querschnitt/DemografischerWandel/DemMigration.html
[15] Verfassungsschutzbericht 2009
https://web.archive.org/web/20100704214902/http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht2009.pdf
[16] Verfassungsschutzbericht 2008
https://web.archive.org/web/20090612020328/http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht_pressefassung2008.pdf

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