As Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party battles legal efforts to monitor its activities as a suspected extremist group, it has called on some of its immigrant members to testify that the party is not racist. This move comes after a 2021 ruling allowed domestic intelligence to investigate the AfD over concerns about right-wing extremism, inching it closer to a potential ban.
In a Münster court hearing this week, three AfD members with international backgrounds aimed to defend the party against accusations of racism and xenophobia. Meysam Ehtemai, a former mayoral candidate who came to Germany from Iran as a refugee, stated he was never disadvantaged due to his ethnicity within the party. Nigerian-born Catherine Ajagun Schmiedel expressed feeling safe in the AfD despite facing racist insults elsewhere.
However, their testimonies contrast starkly with the AfD’s anti-immigrant platform. The party’s manifesto deems Islam as incompatible with Germany and portrays Muslims as a threat to the nation’s values. Prominent AfD figures have made inflammatory remarks about shooting migrants, warned against “Africanization,” and dismissed naturalized citizens as “passport Germans.”
A lawyer representing Germany’s domestic intelligence agency argued that the individual members’ statements were irrelevant to the case, titled “AfD vs Federal Republic of Germany.” The proceedings examined whether monitoring the party for extremist tendencies is justified.
While a win for the AfD could boost its legitimacy after recent setbacks, such as mass protests against its radical anti-immigrant policies, the case was adjourned because the party raised additional concerns, including allegations of prior surveillance.
As the legal battle continues, the AfD’s strategy of using immigrant voices from within its ranks appears aimed at countering widespread perceptions of racism and hardline ethno-nationalism driving its agenda.