With this document, AfD defends itself against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution ruling

After the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the federal party as definitely right-wing extremist, the AfD sent a legal warning.

AfD party leaders Tino Chrupalla (l) and Alice Weidel are defending themselves against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's classification as confirmed right-wing extremists with a warning. dpa

On Friday, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution declared the AfD federal party to be classified as right-wing extremist. On the same day, lawyers from the Cologne law firm Höcker Rechtsanwälte issued a warning letter to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. You can read this document here.

Read the full letter from Höcker Rechtsanwälte here

In their letter, the lawyers address the arguments of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and describe the statements of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which are listed below, as "obviously unlawful, as untrue and therefore irrelevant." The lawyers object to the following points:➢ The AfD would "continuously" agitate against certain individuals or groups of individuals in a way that violates human dignity,

➢ “continuously” spread statements that are hostile to foreigners, minorities, Islam and Muslims, or ➢ do not recognize German citizens with a migration background as equal members of the German people as defined ethnically by the party.

Lawyers deny “blanket defamation of certain individuals” by AfD

According to the lawyers, the arguments presented by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution are inaccurate. The following point is also too general and inaccurate: "Furthermore, this exclusionary understanding of the people is the starting point and ideological basis for continuous agitation and blanket defamation against certain individuals or groups of people. This is evident in a multitude of ongoing xenophobic, anti-minority, anti-Islamic, and anti-Muslim statements."

Höcker Rechtsanwälte also disputes the following statement by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution: "This promotes the spread and deepening of prejudices, resentments, and fears against this group of people. The devaluation of the aforementioned groups of people is also evident in the 'generalizing' use of terms such as 'knife migrants' or in a general attribution of an ethnoculturally determined propensity toward violence by leading members of the AfD."

AfD denies discrimination against people because of “ethnicity”

The warning continues: "As a precautionary measure, it should be emphasized once again that the AfD does not intend to discriminate against any German citizen because of their 'ethnicity' or similar. Furthermore, no xenophobic or Islamophobic agitation can be identified. In the past, they have only assessed critical – sometimes polemically exaggerated – contributions as relevant to constitutional protection, thereby disregarding the jurisprudence on freedom of expression."

The lawyers present linguistic lapses as isolated cases of AfD officials: "Even if there were individual members of the AfD to whom some of the allegations you allege could apply, they lack the (legally) required 'shaping' or 'control' of the overall character of the AfD. You yourself do not provide any evidence on this matter, but merely assert it."