Almost half of Germans back a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, following its classification as an “extremist” group by the country’s domestic intelligence service, according to a recent survey.
The poll, conducted by the Insa Institute for Bild am Sonntag, found that 48% of respondents support banning the AfD. Meanwhile, 37% oppose such a move, and 15% remain undecided.
The survey of 1,001 adults, conducted between May 2 and 3, also revealed that 61% of respondents view the AfD as a “right-wing extremist” party.
For most participants (79%), the recent classification by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) did not change their perception of the AfD. However, 10% said the agency’s assessment altered their view.
On Friday, after a three-year investigation, the BfV officially labelled the AfD as a “proven extremist group.” The agency concluded that the party promotes a far-right nationalist agenda that threatens Germany’s democratic constitutional order.
The BfV specifically cited the AfD’s ideology, which is based on ethnicity and ancestry, as fundamentally incompatible with democratic principles.
It also accused the party of attempting to exclude individuals with migration backgrounds—particularly those from Muslim countries—from full participation in German society.
