Social Affairs Minister Köpping: Examine proceedings to ban the AfD

The Saxon Minister of Social Affairs and leading SPD candidate for the state elections, Petra Köpping, has spoken out in favor of examining the possibility of banning the AfD. "We should regularly examine the chances of banning the AfD," Köpping told Der Spiegel, thereby aligning herself with SPD federal chairwoman Saskia Esken. The NPD ban procedure had failed because the party had only achieved low election results and therefore posed no threat. "I see things differently with the AfD," argued Köpping. "The AfD is strong, it is a danger to democracy."

Esken had spoken out in favor of a regular review of an AfD ban. Her party colleague Carsten Schneider, Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Europe, warned against this. Such a procedure would have little chance of success and would increase solidarity with the AfD.

Köpping also qualified that it was not necessary to aim for a ban procedure without any ifs and buts, "because failure would be fatal for the social climate". The strength of the AfD in Saxony is nothing new, said Köpping. "There were massive campaigns during the coronavirus pandemic: against vaccination, against protective measures. This fierce populism is eating away at democracy." Köpping warned that the democratic parties, "including the CDU/CSU", must stand up to it.

Former Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse also spoke out in favor of considering a ban procedure. "If the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in three federal states classifies the AfD as definitely right-wing extremist, then the state has a duty to consider banning the AfD," the SPD politician told the Tagesspiegel newspaper (Thursday). However, he added, "you have to consider very soberly: there are high hurdles for a party ban in Germany, a ban procedure takes a long time, probably many years, and the AfD would exploit this considerably for propaganda purposes, stylizing itself as a victim."

In all polls for the Bundestag elections, the AfD is in second place behind the CDU/CSU with more than 20 percent, well ahead of the governing parties SPD, Greens and FDP. In Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, where new state parliaments will be elected in September, polls show the AfD in the lead, in some cases by a considerable margin. In Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, the party is classified as "definitely right-wing extremist" by the state offices for the protection of the constitution.