Members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party are seeking to rewrite the party's internal incompatibility list during a congress in Erfurt [1].
The move represents a strategic effort to seize control over the definition of right-wing extremism. By establishing their own criteria, party leaders aim to insulate the organization from the legal and political consequences of being labeled extremist by state authorities [1, 2].
The proposal is backed by high-ranking officials, including Thüringen AfD chief Björn Höcke and the party's leadership duo, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla [1, 2]. The group wants to revise the “Unvereinbarkeitsliste,” a document that dictates which views or memberships are incompatible with party membership [2].
This internal shift comes as the party faces significant pressure from the German government. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution currently classifies the AfD as right-wing extremist in five German states [1]. Such classifications allow intelligence services to monitor party activities and members more closely.
By defining right-wing extremism internally, the AfD leadership intends to bypass the standards used by the domestic intelligence service [1, 2]. This would allow the party to decide who counts as an extremist according to their own standards, rather than adhering to the state's legal definitions [2].
During the event, Weidel and Chrupalla expressed confidence in the party's future trajectory. „Wir werden siegen und wir werden regieren,“ they said [1].
The congress in Erfurt serves as a focal point for the party to consolidate its ideological direction and challenge the state's oversight mechanisms [1].
“„Wir werden siegen und wir werden regieren.“”
This effort to rewrite the incompatibility list is an attempt to delegitimize the findings of Germany's domestic intelligence services. If the AfD can successfully implement its own definition of extremism, it creates a political shield that allows the party to maintain its current ideological course while publicly claiming it meets its own internal standards of moderation.
