German President Wants to Ban Right-Wing Party

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is effectively calling to ban the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, used the anniversary of the Nazi regime's 1938 Kristallnacht pogroms to stress in a speech that parties showing "aggressive hostility towards the constitution" could face being banned.

He did not name the AfD specifically in his remarks, but his warnings come as the party continues to climb in polls and is projected to win major victories in two eastern German regional elections next year, reports The Times on Monday.

The AfD is now the second-largest party in the Bundestag and a central focus of debate over the strength of Germany's postwar democracy.

Without identifying any party, Steinmeier urged mainstream rivals to work together "for the sake of democracy" and to rule out any form of "co-operation with extremists."

He said the lesson from the downfall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism was that extremist movements could only seize power if "aided and abetted by others."

"A party that steps down the path towards aggressive hostility towards the constitution must always reckon with the possibility of being banned," said Steinmeier.

He said banning parties should remain a "last resort" but is justified when they "attack our constitution, oppose it [or] desire a different, illiberal system."

Parties that wish to avoid this, he said, must respect "the rule of law, the institutions of democracy and the dignity and rights of every person."

The AfD, which denies that it is extremist, accused Steinmeier of politicizing his office.

Party leader Alice Weidel said his words were "motivated by party politics" and that they were unworthy of his position as head of state.

The authority to ban a party rests with Germany's Constitutional Court.

More than 150 MPs have supported calls to ask the court to consider action against extremist groups, but others warn that such a move could backfire by allowing the AfD to portray itself as the victim of an undemocratic establishment.

Polls have the AfD at a firm level of 26%, up from 22% in the last elections, notes EuroIntelligence on Substack.

"There are signs of a cyclical economic upswing, but none that will bring lasting joy," the site's author, Jack Smith, reported. "The most likely consequence of Steinmeier's comments is to drive more voters into the hands of the AfD."

Smith noted that once political leaders start going after their opponents through the legal system, such as has happened in the United States, "this is when you start to lose."

"It is happening in France," Smith wrote. "Vladimir Putin is a politician who bans opposition parties. But he controls the legal system. If you are trying to play this game in a country like Germany, you will fail."

Germany's domestic intelligence agency last May officially classified the AfD as a "proven right-wing extremist organization," marking the most serious step yet in Berlin's efforts to contain the rising party.

At the time, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) said it had definitive evidence that the AfD works against Germany's democratic system.

In a statement, AfD leaders Weidel and Tino Chrupalla called the decision "a serious blow to German democracy," arguing it was politically timed to damage the AfD ahead of a possible change in government.

President Donald Trump's administration lashed out at Germany after the designation, with Vice President JD Vance, who met with the AfD leader during a visit to Munich in February, drawing an analogy to the fall of the Berlin Wall, a triumphant moment that has united Germany and the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also denounced the action, saying it gave authorities greater leeway to monitor the group.